


Cheating Hearts

by RougueShadowWolf



Series: 15 Minutes [67]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cheating Derek Hale, Good Peter Hale, Heartbroken Stiles Stilinski, Hurt Stiles, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Married Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-22
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2018-04-05 15:57:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4185912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RougueShadowWolf/pseuds/RougueShadowWolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finding his boyfriend in bed with his dad, not just fucking but making love, really screwed him up. It really screwed a lot of things up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So here we are again 15 minutes, and my friend Celestial asked for a fic where dear Stiles is cheated upon severely not only by his boyfriend (Derek) and his father, and Stiles reacts badly.

 

** **

 

Stiles was so very close to finallyvibrating right out of his ridiculously pale skin, months had passed without giving him any reason for excitement then again all he did with the hours of his days where sleep, eat, study attend classes and lectures fighting of the want to snooze a little, handing in one assignment after another. He worked hard to finish his education as fast possible, Stiles lived on coffee and a few hours of sleep, and what kept Stiles going when his confidence and ability to focus hanged in the balance and his breaking point drew near was his boyfriend; when times were hard and he felt like giving up all he had to do was reach out to the reason for his haste by phone, just one call to his boyfriend was enough to see him through dark times and steady his heart and resolve to the task at hand. Driving into the small parking garage located several floors below their one bedroom apartment which he and Derek had chosen as their home, although at the moment Stiles spent more time in his sad-excuse for a dorm room at Yale instead of in the apartment itself but no matter the amount of time Stiles spent there he still insisted to pay half of the rent, Stiles felt his excitement grow so much so that he nearly drove into the familiar sleek Camaro parked in Derek’s spot, it seemed the Camaro had returned which was all fine and dandy with Stiles who’d frankly missed the not so practical vehicle. 

 

Unwilling or simply unable to stand to waste any more time away from his beloved Stiles’ slips out of the grey Honda which in comparison to Derek’s Camaro was a dull little thing, Stiles leaves his belongings all but his phone and keys opting to grab them sometime later once he’d had his much needed fill of Derek Hale. 

 

Stiles would become a barnacle, an octopus, in regards to his boyfriend for at least the following 24h; he would latch onto Derek until all of both their needs were met. Just the thought of touching, kissing his boyfriend made him feel all giddy inside. 

 

Walking towards the lift would’ve been the sane and reasonable thing to do but Stiles was hardly reasonable at that moment or all that sane for that matter, he was touch starved, and months of loneliness was finally making itself known. No Stiles could not waste time by merely walking no he ran, Stiles ran the small distance between the little airport rental car and the lift which was destined to transport his body up and soul up to the floor that held his and Derek’s comfortable apartment. 

 

As he stands in the slow moving lift he curses the fact that they hadn’t chosen an apartment on the lower levels of the building, eight-floors took forever to reach on lift or foot, however with the time he has Stiles is able to ponder his life and the choices he made such as going away to attend Yale instead of the same community college Scott and the reason behind his choice in which college to attend too; it had been due to his fathers as well as Derek united front of insisting he go to Yale, to grasp at the full-scholarship with both hands that had regardless of the heartache Stiles had felt at the just the thought of leaving Derek caused Stiles to choose Yale, and what had Yale provided Stiles with? 

 

A deep sense of loneliness and misery was what Yale had provided him with, sure he the anti-depressants helped a little to suffocate the darkest of his thoughts and lessened the sense of doom that nearly crippled Stiles to bedrest, Stiles hated Yale and being away from his friends and family. He wanted to come home, but the knowledge of how proud his father was of him the wat he seemed to flaunt the fact that his son had got himself a one way ticket to Yale kept Stiles chained and in place. 

 

With the gentle chime of the lift announces their arrival and the doors open causing Stiles mood to lift a little. 

 

The thought of informing his father of his return to Beacon Hills days before his planned arrival leaps into his conscious as he runs towards the apartment door that held a strange and somewhat unbalanced union of Stiles colorful and playful nature and Derek’s esthetically clean and orderly one, he pulls out not only the keys to his home but also his phone before he’s even reached the door into the apartment he shared with his Sourwolf Stiles’ fingers skim easily and familiarly over the lit-screen of his phone while the other hand swiftly slips the key into its home before turning it while sending word to his father of his untimely return.

 

** To: Dad **

 

** Daddio! Kiddo is back in town. Call U later. Love U.  **

 

He’s just pushed send and slipped inside the apartment expecting to find Derek seated on their couch reading or watching something boring like baseball or basketball, but the very second he’s stepped away from the door he knows immediately that something isn’t right, and as he looks up from his phone his smile sinks a little as two things assaults his senses; he sees a familiar and very much out of date phone light-up on the coffee table in the living-room and the sound of an incoming message startles him a little as his mind takes in the amount of plates and beer bottles on the coffee table there is one too many plates on the table and the familiar Sheriff’s jacket discarded on the back of the couch, and while Stiles sees all of this he hears muffled groans and gasps from the direction of the bedroom the sound is like a horrible whisper of bedsprings and pleasurable moans, and it calls to Stiles and he surrenders too it and moves with uneasy steps towards the direction of those frightful sounds. 

 

`Derek, ´ that voice Stiles knows that voice and hearing it moan his boyfriends name in such a way that even a porn star would’ve blushed hearing it, Stiles knows from that moan alone what he would find behind door still he attempts to come-up with reasons other than what Stiles knows he will find once he opens the door with a trembling hand he pushes the door that had been left ajar just a little bit wider so he could see the destruction of hi heart. 

 

_ Nononono,  _ a desperate voice inside of him chants as his heart and soul drops to the ground when everything he’d believed to be real and good crashes and burns.

 

`Oh God, oh my God.´ Stiles gasps at the sight that greets him. Seeing his father and boyfriend kissing and fucking in such a way that even before his dad and Derek say the words that shouldn’t have been said between the two Stiles knows that this is not the first time his boyfriend and dad are entangled together, and yet hearing his dad and Derek exchange I love you’s well that just digs the reality even deeper and he just starts to cry without even trying to keep his tears from falling. 

 

Derek’s the one who’s the first to notice Stiles and he turns his head just so that he could see the person walking in on his and Stiles’ dads fucking, no Stiles shook his dad and his boyfriend weren’t just fucking they were making love and that just makes the betrayal even worse. Derek’s eyes widened his expression one of pure shock and horror. 

 

`John! ´ Derek says with a frantic voice while pulling away from Stiles dad, `John! Stiles.´ Stiles watches as his dad’s expression of bliss changes to one of confusion as his dick slides right out of Derek’s ass, and then the expression of horrific realization when he turns his gaze towards the direction Derek is apologizing too. 

 

`Son? ´ his dad says while scrambling off of the bed where Stiles had slept and been fucked on more times than he could count on his fingers and toes, Stiles is shaking from head to toe while tears continue to fall his angry and sad the two emotions fighting for superiority, Stiles wasn’t sure whom he hated more his dad or Derek or himself. 

 

`Son.´ his dad says at the same time as Derek says his name both scrambling to find something to cover themselves up with, both sounding like they were panicking, but before they can find any clothes or say anything that might stop the agony, sorrow and anger from blooming and sprouting new sprouts of unhappiness within his entire body and mind. He’s never felt such a strong sense of sorrow and hatred all wrapped up into a growing ticking-time-bomb, Stiles had never felt so betrayed before.

 

`I trusted you, both of you! ´ Stiles screams so loudly that Lydia would’ve been proud of him. 

 

`Stiles, ´ Derek says like this is just one of those moments when Stiles had got the wrong end of the stick but Stiles is perfectly aware of what’s been going on of course he has no clue for how long his father and supposed boyfriend have been lovers, regardless of time and the beginning it is clear Stiles boyfriend had been cheating on him with his father for a while. 

 

`Son please, ´ his dad says almost pleadingly and it should pull at Stiles heart but it doesn’t all it does is fuel his own anger and hurt, increasing the sense of betrayal he’s feeling. 

 

`I fucking trusted the both of you! ´ and with that Stiles threw the bundle of keys at the two men who’d betrayed him in the worst possible way. 

 

`Stiles! ´ Derek snaps when the keys nearly hit his dad and they would’ve hit him if Derek hadn’t pulled the sheriff away just in time. Stiles glares at Derek for a minute before turning his gaze towards his dad and without even attempting dampen his loathing Stiles spits-out, ` I hate you. You’re dead to me, both of you. I don’t want to see or hear from either one of you ever again.´ 

 

`Stiles, please, son.´ John Stilinski says voice shaky and eyes pleading and tearful but Stiles just glares at the naked man that had once been his dad before taking off running hearing both his dad and his now ex-boyfriend call out for him asking him to wait to stop but Stiles will do neither. He rushes into the lift and as soon as he’s inside the small space he drops to the floor sobbing uncontrollably while trying to call the only person he knows he can trust in this fucked-up world. 

 

As soon as Scott picks-up Stiles sobs out, `Scott, De’ek an’ my dad – oh my God they’re…´ 

 

`I fucking told them – I knew this would happen – they should’ve told you like…´ Scott’s seething but that’s not what stuns Stiles into silence it’s the fact that he’s suddenly made aware that the one person he’d thought he could still trust was no more trustworthy than John and Derek were. 

 

`Well yeah, we all knew, Lydia was the first one and well the rest of us caught on once they started…´ Scott begins but Stiles cuts him off by roaring like a demented supernatural beast, `YOU KNEW!?! EVERYONE KNEW!?! ´ 

 

`Yeah, sorry dude, I wanted to tell you last time you were home but…´ Scott continues sounding sorry but Stiles feels nothing but a growing sense of betrayal and that feeling fueled his anger with every beat of his miserable aching heart, `they said it would hurt you – but they’ve been at it since…´

 

`AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME! ´ Stiles screams into his phone and Scott just stutters out an apology and Stiles loses it completely and just screams out his anger and hurt while throwing the phone his dad had bought him as a graduation present against the elevator doors which open the moment the phone drops to the floor with a completely cracked and ruined screen. Stiles stands up and hurries over to his little rental and climb’s in tears streaming down his cheeks. He knows he’s in no shape to drive and yet he speeds out of the garage never planning to return to this town of traitors.

 

** ~*~ **

 

Derek wakes-up alone in their bed a bed they’d bought together when they’d decided to move in together, they hadn’t only bought a new bed but they also moved into a little house not too far away from the old Stilinski house, Derek frowns at the empty side of the bed which he’d been sharing successfully with the man he loved for several years now.Derek knows why his partner in life wasn’t in bed with him even though this was one of the few days of the year when John Stilinski took the day off from work, with a guilty heart Derek slips out of bed in search of his mate.Making his way out of their bedroom and down the narrow hall that took him straight into the airy living room, he can smell the tears the man is weeping and for once not into a glass of whiskey, Derek can smell the stench of deep sorrow and regret as well as self-loathing and it’s all enough to make Derek wonder whether or not John truly regretted falling in love with him.Derek pauses only once during his journey towards silently weeping man, Derek pauses to watch John for a moment, they’d been together for seven years now five of which were out and public and Derek loved the man standing alone in the living room with all his miserable excuse for a heart and it hurt to know that John wasn’t entirely happy with their life; sure,Derek knew John loved him and that the man would not leave him and the fact that John had proposed to him and set a date for their wedding told Derek that much but there was an unhappiness in John which came from the missing piece the gaping hole in John’s heart which Stiles had left behind on the night he vanished from their lives.

 

John was standing in front of the assortment of framed picture of Stiles Stilinski hanging on the wall one hand raised and fingers tracing over the one picture Derek knew to be John’s absolute favorite one of his son, the boy in the picture was about sixin the picture wearing his father’s uniform the shirt covering the little boy all the way down to his ankles smiling wide and holding up his father badge eyes bright, and behind him kneeling down with a face lit with love and pride was the years young John Stilinski unlike his son who beamed up at the camera John’s smile and attention were on the little Stiles Stilinski, it wasn’t the best picture of John or Stiles at least not in Derek’s opinion but for some reason it was John’s favorite and the man had a smaller copy of it in his wallet. 

 

Slowly John’s attention moves from his favorite picture to all the other ones he’d hung up on the wall pausing at the last one taken of his son and that picture might’ve been Derek’s favorite one of Stiles Stilinski, it was also the one picture that had been on every missing-persons poster and report because it was perfect showing of the details of Stiles face even a couple of his moles. The scent of misery increases suddenly and Derek’s heart aches with a fierceness that made it difficult to breathe. 

 

`Happy birthday son.´ John whispers as the clock turns 4.44 Am the time his son had been born and with that the man begins to cry begging his son to just come home and it causes Derek to crosses the distance between them with quick light steps, he can’t stand hearing his strong and brave John beg for something from Stiles when the kid wasn’t even around to hear it.Derek wraps his arms around the crying man understanding that this day had become one of the most difficult days for John to deal with without drowning his sorrow from 4.44am with enough alcohol to cause him to drop into a state of unconsciousness, on this very morning twenty-five years ago Claudia Stilinski had given birth to a wrinkly pink baby boy,it had been according to John the happiest day in his life and the most terrifying one as well and Derek knew all of this because John had told him that much as well as the story of Stiles birth more than once. 

 

`I – I miss him so much.´John chocks out and Derek tightens his hold on the man for it is all he can do for there are no words to sooth the ache in the sheriff’s heart and Derek knows it, Derek fears that they would never again see the young man who’d vanished from their lives with angry words thrown and tears spent.Derek had been foolishly certain on the evening when their lives fell apart on the wings of revelation and betrayal that they would find Stiles at Scott’s and Kira’s apartment drinking his sorrow down and weeping against his best friends shoulder but no, Stiles was not found there or back in Yale and when Stiles didn’t return to continue his studies as expected well that was when fear had settled in Derek’s and John’s hearts.It was terrifying not knowing where the younger Stilinski was or even if he was alright and each time there was an unidentified male fitting Stiles ages and body type fear gripped firmly at both their hearts and for now they had been lucky but Derek feared one day their luck would runout on them. 

 

They just stand there both crying in front of a wall full of pictures of the boy they’d lost due to their love. John’s crying is as controlled as Derek’s but he’s sorrow is as deep as the ocean and paternal-based while Derek’s was far more the sorrow he felt over John’s misery sure Derek missed talking and laughing with Stiles, but Derek’s grief was based on John’s sorrow more than anything else. 

 

`I just want to know he’s alright, ´ John confesses as and Derek knows this he’s heard John say it a hundred times, `I just need to know he’s not dead in some ditch or a woodland area.´Derek knows this too, and it breaks his heart not being able to give John the information he so craves. Derek feared that one day the call would come, the one call that would confirm their fears about Stiles being dead, Derek wasn’t sure if John would be able to survive such a horrid thing as the death of his only son, his only child.

 

`Stiles isn’t dead John,´ Derek tells the man he loves firmly, believing his own words only enough for his voice not to waver, `We’d know if he was. Lydia would know John and she’d tell us.´ but the truth was they weren’t all that sure that Lydia would sense Stiles death, but they could only hope she would and could. 

 

`Then why can’t we find him? ´John asks sharply but Derek knows the anger directed towards him isn’t real even though it would’ve been a fair for John to be angry with him because it was Derek’s fault the man had possibly lost his son for forever. 

 

`Then why can’t we find him Derek? ´ Derek pulls away from his mate and sits down on the couch hands combing through his messy hair as he thinks back to his decision to wait and see if the news from Boston was true or false, they were sending Scott to check it out, but as Derek gazes-up at the tearful face of his mate he sighs out in defeat and prays quickly that what he’s about to do isn’t a mistake.

 

`Deaton got a call from an emissary in Boston,´ Derek takes a deep breath to steady his nerves, `There’s been a possible sighting and connection to Stiles.´ 

 

`Wh-what? ´ 

 

`Scott’s on his way there, to make sure this isn’t like Salem or all the other times we thought he was found,´ Derek says apologetically but there’s hope in John’s eyes once more, and with a sigh Derek stands up and says with an air of defeat, `We’re going to Boston aren’t we?´ and John nods. 

 


	2. 2B

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You are all so going to hate this chapter, I just know it.

The apartment complex wasn’t the worst Scott had seen since the search for Stiles Stilinski had begun but it wasn’t the best either, it made him anxious not knowing what he might find within the building because the last time Stiles had lived in a dump like this they’d missed him only by a few days finding nothing but a rat-infested apartment where there were signs of both alcohol and drug abuse; _that_ place had reeked of Stiles and every negative emotion possible known to man, it took months for John to recover from that little finding and Scott well he found himself growing more anxious and fearful of what he would find once he found his childhood friend, if he ever did find him.

 

 _No. Don't think like that,_ Scott thinks before he can begin to think too many negative thoughts about never finding Stiles alive.

 

 _He's out there and you will find him, one day,_ Scott thinks because he needs to believe it to be true unless of course he wants to lose hope.

 

Scott had spent hours outside the building sitting inside his car, he’d been on the lookout for anyone who might resemble Stiles even the slightest bit but none had walked in or out of the building during the past few days at least not during the hourse he'd sat there waiting; why exactly Scott spent hours and days waiting to see someone who might be his friend was beyond his own understanding perhaps it was the fear of once more chasing shadows and finding nothing or rather what if he did find something, what if he found Stiles the junkie instead of healthy-Stiles? Would he be able to handle it if he found Stiles and he was a junkie, how would he tell John such a horrible piece of news? Hell, how would Scott break that piece of news to his mother?

 

Sighing heavily and running his fingers through his already messy hair, Scott knew he couldn’t continue sitting around simply because he feared what he might find behind the walls of the miserable looking building,Scott had already spent two days doing nothing other than avoiding every message and call from Derek and John which he knew wasn’t helping Derek’s nerves and most likely not John’s either but he could not find it in him to spend even ten minute trying to make Stiles dad and ex-boyfriend understand why he Scott McCall couldn't find the bravery needed to just walk straight up to apartment 2B and knock. From all the phone calls and message's Scott knew Derek had spilled the beans to his mate and future husband, Derek rarely could keep secrets from John and sure enough as soon as Scott was out of his rental car two very familiar figures caught his eye.

 

Scott couldn’t help the deep groan of pure and undeniable frustration that escaped him when his tired eyes caught sight of Derek and John walking up the street, there had been a time when the sight had annoyed him for different reasons than what it did now; finding out that Derek and John had begun a relationship while Stiles was away at college had been a difficult pill to swallow which of course had been made worse by the fact that he’d been convinced to withhold said traitorous affair from his best friend and brother.

 

To this very day Scott regretted not telling Stiles even if his friend wouldn’t have believed him, even Scott hadn’t believed it not until he’d walked in on the former Sheriff of Beacon Hills making out with the werewolf that had in everyone’s mind been as good as his son-in-law, but what had been done had been done and now all any of them could do was wish they would find Stiles before he ended-up in an early grave.

 

They had now spent years searching for Stiles who’d seemingly vanished from the face of the earth a few years ago, not a hair or hide had ever been found of him since that day they stepped inside a small one bedroom apartment above a dingy bar out on a lone stretch of dirt road in Texas, the owner of said establishment hadn’t been all that forthcoming with information on where Stiles was not until Derek nearly broke the man’s arm in a less than gentle way of trying to extract some useful information; hearing that an unconscious Stiles had been found in the men’s restroom by a patron of the establishment had been an unexpected piece of worrisome news, and according to barkeep the same patron had decided to drive Stiles to the hospital instead of waiting for help to arrive, but what was however unnerving about that story was the lack of any one matching Stiles description arriving at any of the emergency rooms at any one of the hospitals in the so-called great state of Texas.  Since that night everyone including Scott was often riddled with doubts about whether or not Stiles had died on the way to the hospital, his body unceremoniously dumped in a ditch somewhere on a lonely stretch of highway but even if those moments of horrendous doubts Scott and John Stilinski were unable to fully give-up on their search for Stiles Stilinski; any whisper of a possible sighting of Stiles had to be investigated even if the chances of finding Stiles were slim to none.

 

During the past two years while Derek’s hope and belief in Stiles being alive continued to dwindle as did the faith of several other members in their small pack, such as Liam who’d voiced more than once how Stiles was probably dead in some ditch which often resulted in rather violent altercations between those who agreed and those who did not, Lydia was the firmest believer in Stiles being still being alive simply because she refused to believe she wouldn’t have sensed Stiles passing which was also Scott’s reason to not believing his best friend was dead.

 

When it came to Stiles own father his faith in Stiles wavered with each disappointment, at times John spoke of Stiles as if he was still alive while on gloomier days he’d speak of Stiles as though he was dead and buried next to Claudia Stilinski; Scott had also noticed that John was one step or a push away from legally declaring Stiles dead.

 

Seeing Derek and John walking towards the miserable building where Stiles supposed to be living in all Scott felt was annoyance because this could end-up like they always did with each of them feeling miserable,Derek would soak in John’s misery which made him a pain in Scott’s side while John drank and cried or drank and raged; at times John’s anger was directed at Stiles calling him a selfish and unthoughtful bastardwhile at times the man knew who to truly blame for their own situation which caused him to spend a month drinking until Derek somehow managed to drag the man back out of his bout of self-loathing.

 

Scott crossed the street briskly catching Derek’s attention and the werewolf didn’t even look all that sorry about being there with his mate, and if that didn’t just annoy him a little and so it shouldn’t have been all surprising to anyone that he growled out angrily, `Derek. I thought we’d agreed that I’d check this one out _alone_.´

 

John paused briefly to throw him a glare before speaking, `He’s _still_ my son Scott.´ Scott nearly threw back at him the one sentence he knew would hit the man harder than any punch ever could, but the last time he’d done that Derek had attacked him rather viciously and their pack had been divided for several weeks into camp Derek and camp Scott. Without further exchange of words John reached for the broken door-handle of the broken door with the broken lock.

 

Behind the door there was darkness and a stench that truly told them they were in the rougher part of the bad neighborhood, the hairs on Scott’s arms and at the back of his neck rose as he caught sight of rats the size of small dogs scurrying off into, beneath his feet he could hear papers and needles crunching. There were garbage littering the floors and the stairs, and Scott really had to fight the urge to gag.

 

`What a dump.´ Derek grumbled as they climbed the messy stairs and John agreed with him even though he could barely see the filthy through which they were walking through then again there was no denying the stench.

 

Without thinking, without the slightest bit of hesitation John makes his way towards apartment 2B and without further thought the former Sheriff and keep of the law began his desperate knocks on the door calling out his son’s name but there was no answer no matter how desperate John sounded or how hard he begged.

 

`John,´ Derek says voice firm but low, no need to draw anymore unwanted attention, `He’s not home.´ John stops knocking and just looks at Derek with pleading eyes, `John, the scent is fresh. He’s been here recently.´

 

John looks at his mate and future husband with pleading eyes like Derek could suddenly conjure his son for him.

 

`I’d say a few hours ago, ´ Scott says eyeing Derek who only nods gently stroking the side of John’s face, `I must’ve missed him only by a few minutes.´ Derek nods in agreement which causes John to look up at his future husband with hopeful eyes which causes Derek to kiss John tenderly right there in front of Scott even though both men knew how little Scott desired to see these signs of affection shared between the two.

 

It wasn’t simply the loss of Stiles that made Scott despise any display of affection such as this between Derek and John, it was also the fact that John had shattered Scott’s mother’s heart in the process of breaking his own son’s heart, everyone had believed that eventually once John Stilinski stopped grieving his late wife that the man would begin a long awaited relationship with Scott’s mother,  of course John had never made any promises of the sort to either Scott or his mother but all the flirting and midnight calls had made both McCall’s think there was more to come out of Melissa’s and John’s relationship than just friendship; hell, Scott and Stiles had been so sure of it that they’d been certain that they’d become legally brother’s sooner or later, they’d even gone as far as imagined how their possible sibling would look like.Now it seemed the only one who would become a big brother was Stiles, if of course the adoption agency gave John and Derek the greenlight, just the idea of the two having a child and replacing Stiles made Scott bristle with anger as did the look of hurt in his Melissa’s eyes every time she could not avoid John or Derek.

 

`Guys, ´ Scott grumbles trying to keep some of his disgust from coming through for there was no real reason to continue hurting John considering how Scott had done nothing to stop the relationship between Derek and John from blooming into what it was now, perhaps if Scott had put his foot down early on his disapproval would’ve carried some weight without making him appear like a hypocrite.

 

`We can’t just stand here and wait for him.´ Scott says once the mated couple stop kissing, John nods eye filled with hope which was a dangerous thing because there had been times when they’d come across Stiles’ scent only to learn he’d left the day before or just a few hours prior, but Scott has no heart to be the dark cloud hanging over everything related to Stiles he’s trying to keep any negative thoughts out if his head; he’s trying not to lose faith in their chances of finding their missing pack mate especially considering how Scott had failed in every relationship he’d tried to build since Stiles vanished, because if he did lose all-hope of ever finding Stiles then he’d made the wrong choice between Stiles and Kira, Stiles and Lydia, Stiles and everyone else that came around.

 

`Let’s see if we can get inside.´ John says voice light the lightness in his voice doesn’t waver even after it turns out unsurprisingly that the apartment door was locked, but being the man he was he began to look around for a spare key which all three of them knew Stiles would hide somewhere near the door, and sure enough above the door on the dusty doorframe was the key which caused John so smile and whisper, `That’s my Stiles.´

 

As soon as the door is opened the scent of Stiles wafted towards them and finally a spark of hope erupts within Scott’s chest that he can’t deny, it’s such a powerful sensation that even if that familiar scent of his best friend was now corrupted with alcohol and various chemicals Scott didn’t feel his hopefulness crumble the slightest bit; now that they found him they could help Stiles, get him to stop drinking and to start taking better care of himself.

 

`John,´ Derek says stopping the older Stilinski from entering the unknown instead taking his place at the front, which seemed to flare a slight sense of annoyance in John as well as Scott who was the Alpha after all, but Derek didn’t seem to care about rank or his mates feelings when it came to keeping the human safe.

 

`There’s no one here.´ Derek announces after trying to hear or scent any unwanted occupants within the small apartment.

 

`I could’ve told you that.´ Scott grumbles before moving past John who placed the key back where it had been found.

 

`This place stinks.´ Derek says moving further into the one bedroom apartment, Scott couldn’t help but agree with Derek because the place truly did reek of old garbage and alcohol as well as something horrible that made his stomach turn.

 

There was a sad looking baseball bat by the door next to a stack of old newspapers and cereal boxes, the sight of the bat gave Scott further hope that after all these years apart he would finally get to see his long-lost-friend.

 

The further into the apartment they moved the more evident it became that Stiles was in trouble, there were empty cheap liquor bottles scattered all over the place as were empty pill bottles and used needles, and from what Scott could tell Stiles lived on takeout and alcohol and various different drugs.

 

`Oh son, ´ John said voice quivering as it slowly began to dawn on him how lost his son had become, `What have you done? ´ John looked like he was close to crying when he caught sight of the mess his son was living in, seeing the poison his son was injecting, snorting, smoking was understandably upsetting John and this was one of the many reasons why Scott had decided to check the apartment out on his own.

 

`Oh my god Derek.´ John gasped eyes glued on the destructive mess on the stained, burned, three-legged coffee-table held up with a stack of books, and without hesitation Derek was there wrapping John into a tight hug, allowing John to weep his tears against his shoulder. Derek’s support the man would’ve broken down in tears.

 

`We’ll get through this John.´ Derek says more on autopilot than anything else and it causes Scott to glare at the older werewolf, because if Derek didn’t even believe in what he was saying how on earth could anyone expect Stiles to truly be helped?

 

 `We’ll get him the help he needs.´ Scott wants to argue with Derek’s statement because he had his doubts that Stiles would accept any help from Derek or his father, and sadly Scott feared that the same could be said about him; Scott had been hiding the relationship between Derek and John as had everyone else in his pack, they’d foolishly though they were protecting Stiles but in the end all Scott had become to Stiles was a traitor, nothing more nothing less.

 

They could always try their luck with his mother considering how deeply the whole Derek and John thing had hurt her, and how angry she’d been with everyone for the lies they’d spun for Stiles so-called benefit, maybe the two could bond over their hurt and anger.

 

John is about to respond in anyway the sound of the apartment door being unlocked and shoved open by someone incredibly unsteady on their feet, all three of them freeze and just stare at the skeletally thin and gaunt looking figure stumbling into the apartment and locking the door behind them, the corrupted scent of Stiles Stilinski;Scott can barely recognize this figure wearing messy unwashed clothes and who’s shoes are worn down with holes in them, but it’s Stiles even if his hair is greasy so much so that it laid flat on his head, and the needle fearing young man had covered his now stick-like arms in permanent ink.

 

As soon as Stiles turns around his dad cries out his name and rushes over to hug the shocked and stunned looking figure, where there should be some look of recognition be it one laced with anger or hurt there’s none if anything Stiles looks like someone who'd suddenly walk in on a burglar ransacking their home. But John is clearly oblivious to the look on his son’s face all the man sees is his son whom he’s hugging tightly while telling the stick-figure how much he’d been missed and how much John loved him.

 

The brown eyes makes Scott feel uneasy because it’s like his friend doesn’t even recognize the man hugging him or anyone of them in all honesty, and by the look on Derek’s face he’d caught on to the worrisome behavior of the young male who’d been Scott’s best friend and who’d sadly once been Derek’s boyfriend too. But while Derek and Scott were clearly sharing an opinion that something was off about Stiles John Stilinski continued to hug him oblivious to the fact that Stiles stood there like a deer stuck in the headlights of an incoming truck, it was clear that this strange behavior and the scent of something that just wasn’t right about _this_ Stiles made Derek as uncomfortable as it made Scott; and as Derek moved towards his mate perhaps to detach him from Stiles which seemed rather unlikely to happen without John putting-up a fight,  but there was no need for Derek to remove John because he stepped back when a phone inside the familiar leather jacket Derek had given him for his birthday but this jacket looked like it had gone through hell and back like it too had suffered the same hurt and pain as Stiles had.

 

John stepped back but kept his hands on his son one hand on the back of his son’s neck and the other against the sunken cheek, there were slow tears dancing down the older males cheeks and even Scott understood the reason for those tears because he too was close to tears seeing the horrible shape his childhood friend was in, it pained him to see Stiles like this and knowing it was all Stiles’ own doing, and if his mother had been there well Scott was sure his mother would’ve trampled down her own tears and gone straight into the care-mode.

 

With shaky hands Stiles pulls out a rather old and battered phone but instead of bringing the phone to his ears which were hidden underneath thick messy hair Stiles just pushed the glowing screen and as the person on the other end began to speak the three men from Beacon Hills were shocked beyond reason.

 

`Booth? Booth? ´ the connection wasn’t great and neither was the speaker but there was no doubt about who it was, `Booth! ´

 

`Magic Man.´ John’s hands drop off of the Stiles-copy immediately at hearing how wrong his voice was compared to the person calling him.

 

`Booth, time to pack-up.´ the person who had Stiles voice said, sounding urgent in the background Scott could hear kids screaming excitedly, `Someone’s been talking, so time to move on, Wilson says you can stay with him for a few days until we can get you moved. Booth, did you hear me? ´

 

`Stiles? ´ John croaked eyes staring down at the phone resting against the palm of a very shaky hand, and there’s a beat of a silent before the figure that looked likeStiles but wasn’t says, `Magic Man, I think moving is a little bit late.´

 

John reaches for the phone calling out for his son who says, `Fudge-bucket,´ but the words sound more like a curse than a random throw of words and then the line goes dead.

 

`No. No. Stiles!´ John yells but it’s too late, but the man still attempts to call the number that had just called this person called Booth, but as expected Stiles doesn’t answer his call and in the end it seemed Stiles turned off his phone.

 

`Well then, who wants a drink?´ Booth who was Stiles like appearance began to fade leaving behind a man in his late thirties with a rat-like face and bad teeth and dry flaky skin.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to everyone who’s already had a problem with this story I feel I should really tell you to JUST WALK AWAY because you already know you hate this story so no need to torture yourselves with it. Go and read fic’s that will not make you sick, angry or hateful. DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME ON THIS STORY.   
> And to those who aren’t hating on me or my story sorry for the long wait but I had to take a break.   
> Now, so this is the first part of a chapter that was originally ridiculously long, hopefully no one flips a switch for it.

John Stilinski’s heart had nearly stopped and possibly even caved in a little when he saw the rat infested apartment his son was believed to have settled in, and seeing all the dirty and used needles with the discarded little bags scattered on the broken coffee-table as well as the sticky floor any hopes he’d held about finding his son healthy and happy flew out the dirty newspaper covered windows, and with all the bottles of pills and alcohol shattered his heart and made him fear what shape his and Claudia’s son would be in.  
And then when this stranger called Booth walked in looking like a horrible, soul-wrenching version of his son, his once so beautiful and vibrant boy, and the sight of his Stiles’ so called destruction had caused John Stilinski’s heart to feel a pain that overpowered any he’d felt since his son ran from everyone who loved him, and nothing Derek could’ve said or done at that moment when the figure who’d looked like the worst possible version of John’s little boy walked into the small filthy apartment could’ve eased the pain and guilt that bloomed within John’s heart. Seeing his and Claudia’s precious child, their only son who had been an unexpected but greatly wished gift when all the doctors and tests suggested that Claudia and he couldn’t conceive without medical assistance but their son was created by some miracle without injections or sterile rooms, seeing the disturbing unreal version of the person John had struggled to raise alone when it became unsafe for Stiles to be around his mother unsupervised walking into the filthy apartment had been without a doubt the worst moment in John Stilinski’s life even far more horrific than Claudia’s death. Seeing his son, his little boy or at least what he’d thought as his son look so ruined, destroyed had been far worse of an experience than realizing that Stiles had gone missing and that Stiles had ran with the full intention of never being found had not created such a horrible ache inside his heart as seeing a skeletal and ill version of his son did, the only thing that could’ve overshadowed the absolute sense of misery that washed over John Stilinski when the decrepit version of his son appeared inside the messy apartment would’ve been finding Stiles dead; no, even finding his son dead wouldn’t have broken his heart as much as this junkie version did.

  
However what John had wrapped his arms around wasn’t his son, no his son was somewhere that wasn’t there amongst all the filth, his son was somewhere else calling to warn this horrible little man called Booth that they were coming only to end the call as soon as John’s voice reached him through the phone.

  
Hearing his son’s voice, hearing Stiles speak after so many years of complete silence had been as wonderful as it was agonizing, and the sadness and pain John felt when his own son ended the call before John could truly speak to him, or hear his son speak simply increased the already overflowing sense of misery inside of the man who’d lost so much in one go, John’s grief grew as his son continued to ignore his calls while Booth gave-up on pretending to be his son and walked in his possible true form towards the filthy kitchen cabinets ignoring both Derek and Scott who were bombarding him with questions.

  
`Who the hell are you and how do you know Stiles? ´ Derek growls while Booth hobbles around in search of something, while digging through the cabinets as well as draws knocking down things as he searched for something creating an even greater mess on the already messy floor.

  
`Where is he? Where’s Stiles? ´ Scott asks almost as soon as Derek had asked his own question sounding less annoyed and more frantic, yet hopeful, but like with Derek the odd man wearing clothes that were too big on his short figure ignored Scott and just continued to rummage through the messy kitchen until at last the odd little creature of a man paused his search as he found what he’d been looking for.

  
`Found you.´ Booth said rather victoriously while kneeling on the trash covered floor pulling out a bottle from the back of a now empty cabinet beneath the sink that was full of dirty dishes and cockroaches.

  
`Where’s my son? ´ John asks when he finally surrenders to the knowledge that Stiles isn’t picking-up, that his son had turned off his phone in order to avoid his calls. It hurt to know that even after all these years his son still didn’t want to see or speak to him.

  
Turning around the strange little man held up a bottle of familiar liquid which John had for many years used before and after Stiles left to try and drown his sorrows and shames in. The little ugly man held the bottle up just so that John could see it, the man with a mouthful of rotten teeth smiled knowingly in his direction before asking with a twinkle in his watery eyes, `I hear this is your favorite poison Mr. Stilinski, care to join me? ´

  
Before John can decline Derek does it for him with a sharp and angry, `No.´ which was understandable because well John could be a mean and an unpleasant drunk at times and Derek had taken the brunt of his anger and loathing during John’s drunken moments since Stiles vanished, even when John had hit him Derek hadn’t left or retaliated he’d just taken it; they were better now, John didn’t drink more than one beer now and again at dinner, and Derek well Derek continued to keep him on the right track.

  
Booth glares at John’s mate before shrugging his shoulders and turning back towards the cabinets, clearly the man had wanted to share a drink with John but was wise enough not to push it on him.

  
`Oh the mutt speaks for the human, how original,´ Booth grumbles unhappily while grabbing one of the cups in the sink where dirty dishes sat waiting for someone to wash them, `Magic man would not allow it. No. No he wouldn’t. The Magic Man is not bitch to a mutt, no, no he’s not. ´ John hears the man mutter, `No matter, and no matter. Not important. Booth can drink on his own, yes he can and yes he will. He will drink and drink all he likes, yes he will. ´

  
`Where’s my son?´ John asks while grabbing Derek’s hand trying to still the anger blooming inside the chest of the man he was slowly building a life around, the man with whom he would hopefully soon be raising a son with. Booth snorts at this but continues to fill the filthy cup with whiskey before taking a good long drink straight out of the bottle eyes open accompanied with a blissed expression once he was done.

  
`Where is he? ´ Scott asks sounding far less angry than Derek and far more desperate, during the many years without Stiles John had noticed how Scott’s temperament had changed, it took a great deal of work for anyone to truly make him laugh or focus on something besides work or the search for Stiles, Scott needed to find Stiles as much as John did if he wanted to move on with his life, the three of them needed to find Stiles to find the will to move on in life.

  
With a quick sip from his The Muppets cup Booth turns around to face his audience, clearly enjoying the attention a filthy smirk rising upon his chapped lips.

  
`You’d like to know that now wouldn’t you.´ Booth says with a sweetness that is all poison and no sugar, `Like to know where the Magic Man is hiding.´ Booth says with a cruel smirk on his lips, which clearly enrages Derek, John can feel his rage seep into him through their bond it had taken a great deal for John to get used to the feeling of someone else’s emotions whispering alongside his own but he had eventually.

  
`Stop playing games.´ Derek snaps but from Booth reaction you would’ve thought Derek had just spoken to him in a meekly fashion, `Where is he? Where’s Stiles!?´

  
Derek’s anger seemed however to only amuse Booth, who smiled a little bit wider before finally speaking with a smooth cold voice, `Well the Magic Man is safe. Happy from what I’ve heard. Oh happy-happy-joy-joy.´

  
The tightness in John’s heart eases-up a little at the suggestion that Stiles is happy and safe, but for John to truly be free from the worry and fears that had aged him a great deal all these years he would need to see it for himself; he needed to see his son and talk to him.

  
`Where is he?´ Derek continues to growl which causes Booth to laugh a little louder, while Scott asks a question that doesn’t seem all that important, `Why – why are you calling him that?´

  
Booth glances over at Scott his laughter gone and a look of confusion on the face that has gone a bit grey, the confused look causes to Scott to add a little to his initial question, `Why are you, call Stiles the Magic Man? ´

  
Booth’s face lights-up a little but the tint of grey stays on his skin, raising his cup in Scott’s direction before saying, `I like you kid – not half as much as I like myself or the Magic Man, but I like you.´ then after another sip the odd little man gestures at himself before saying, `You think I’d look this good without Magic Man’s aide, or smell half as nice? ´

  
`What are you talking about? ´ Derek growls while pinching the bridge of his nose, his patience worn down to almost nothing, which seems to go amiss on the peculiar man, who continues to sip his drink like it was a cup of coffee.

  
`I’m a ten-year old corpse people,´ Booth says with an air of pride, then with a seriousness no one would’ve expected from Booth he continues to say, `Take my advice breathers never-ever risk pissing off a voodoo queen, you never know if she’s the real thing or not until you wake-up in the morgue in the middle of an autopsy,´ the man shudders theatrical before smirking once more, `I still feel kinda bad for the corner, poor man died from a heart attack,´ Booth says before laughing like everything was just a funny little joke, `then again who wouldn’t when a heartless corpse suddenly sits up and asks you what the fuck happened?´

  
`Y-you’re – you’re d-dead? ´ Scott asks looking horrified which has Booth smiling wider, `Yes – yes I am. And without the help of the Magic Man I’d still be walking around in the swamp-lands trying to hide because well even humans can tell when something’s dead, especially when the dead person is slowly rotting away, and what this screwed-up world really doesn’t need is all those crazy people preparing for the world to end because of zombies shooting every guy with a nasty case of the hangover.´

  
Derek and John share a look both thinking the same thing, which was that Booth was just crazy.

  
`Kinda stumbled on him and his mate, ´ Booth continues to say with an air of bemusement, `Well, back then they weren’t mate’s just one idiot in love with…´

  
`Wait.´ Derek says sharply and Booth pauses taking a chance to drink a little bit more making a pleased little sound as the whiskey washes down over his tongue.

  
`You – you- you said mate.´ Derek says sounding almost as shocked as John is.

  
` He has a mate? ´ the question comes out almost like the idea of Stiles mated to someone was slowly chocking Derek, which had John wondering why it was that the news bothered his mate as much as it clearly did.

  
`Of course he has one.´ Booth says sharply like Derek had suddenly insulted him in some strange an unknown way, it was almost as if even doubting Stiles capability to be mated was a crime in itself.

  
` You think someone like him is going to stay single forever, are you stupid and blind? ´ Booth asks emptying the last of the whiskey in his cup down his throat and throwing the cup into the sink where it breaks, `Sure, from what I’ve heard and seen, you two screwed him up real good,´ the words were as good as a slap in John’s face and he feels his heart sink a little, `Jesus he still has trust issues the size of fucking-Jupiter, that’s why this whole walking around looking like him shit is going on, and trust me I’m not the only one doing it. From my fellow Stiles-walkers I know you idiots have been mighty close in finding them, hell you even saw one of them in a morgue once sadly Mark may he rest in peace changed back into his real form before you saw him – would’ve helped the Magic Man a lot if you’d thought he was dead.´

  
`There are more of you? ´ Scott asks which causes the odd man who if they were to believe him was a dead man walking and talking as if he was alive to snort, `that’s what I said.´

  
`Listen here, and listen good.´ Booth says rubbing his hand over his gaunt looking face, `He doesn’t want to be found, and he’s happy, so just leave the kid alone. He deserves to be happy. ´

  
`No.´ Derek snaps, his patience wearing thin and John can feel it within his bones, `You are going to tell us where he is or…´

  
`Or what!?´ Booth yells back at him, `You think I’m afraid of you? I’m already fucking dead you stupid asshole, there’s nothing you can do to me. The Magic Man and his mate however can do a lot to hurt me so fuck-off back to Beacon Hills and just stay there.´

  
`Why you little shit.´ Derek growls taking a step closer to where the walking corpse was standing glaring daggers at Derek, to avoid any unnecessary blood being spilled John grabbed Derek’s arm pulling him closer.

  
`You’re dead – and Stiles is mated? ´ Scott asks looking as horrified by the idea that Booth wasn’t all that alive as he was shocked by the idea that Stiles had gone and got himself mated with someone without Scott knowing about it, and if they weren’t all that worried about getting a dirty used needle stick to their person then both John and Scott would’ve dropped down to sit on messy couch. John’s head was spinning with the idea that his son was mated without him knowing it, John could deal with the whole walking dead thing far more easily than the idea that his only son had left him so completely out of the loop.

  
Booth just nods his head several strands of hair rains down onto the messy floor.

  
`He can’t be – he can’t be mated, right? ´ John asks Derek who is standing there beside him looking absolutely conflicted by these odd pieces of information, `There are rules, right? ´ and again Derek just nods it was these sort of moments when John wished Derek wasn’t so incapable of expressing his thoughts and feelings with words because unlike his son John had never really learned how to decipher Derek’s facial twitches and eyebrows.

  
Of course John had gone through all of Stiles researches when he’d gone to college, at first it was something to keep him from drinking and then it became something that helped him understand Derek Hale better or at least understand the werewolf part of Derek, sadly Stiles hadn’t written a handbook on how to understand and read Derek Hale like an open book. From Stiles research into werewolves and the research had made John aware of how incredibly talented his son was when it came to searching for answers and gathering them all up and together until it was like a glorious book on werewolf lore, history as well as the anatomy and codes of werewolves in general, from what John had learned from Stiles research and Derek of course was that if a werewolf from another pack had been interested in his son in the form of a lasting relationship such as mating then the werewolf had a duty to make his or her intentions known not only to the wanted mate but John too because he was Stiles father, the interested werewolf was also make his or her intentions known to Stiles’ Alpha who was of course Scott McCall; and John was most certain neither he or Scott had been spoken too by any possible mate-to-be for if someone had come to ask for his son’s hand well then John would’ve only agreed to it after seeing and speaking to his only child, and neither John or Scott had given their consent for the courting of Stiles Stilinski to begin or for the mating to take place, and according to werewolf protocol this mate of Stiles should’ve also asked Derek due to the fact that Derek and Stiles had been in a relationship and because John and Derek were mated. And form Derek’s reaction it was clear that John’s mate was as shocked by this piece of news as he was.

  
`Oh but he is. ´ Booth says before drinking straight out of the bottle, grinning ever so slightly.

  
`But – but there are rules, ´ John insisted and Derek gave a stiff-nod face stuck in what seemed to be a permanent glare.

  
`Whatever.´ the odd looking man said rather dismissively. `All old Booth here knows is that Magic Man is mated. ´

  
`Where is he? ´ Derek says before grabbing Booth by the shirt and slamming him up against the broken fridge, Booth squeaks a little and holds his bottle close to his chest like it was precious to him and perhaps it was considering the man was clearly fond of alcohol, `You better tell me or I’ll start ripping pieces off of you right now. ´

  
`Shit.´ Booth breathes out eyes looking franticly around the room for help before giving in to Derek’s demand, saying over and over again, `Okay. Fine.´ The easy way with which Booth rolled over for Derek made John feel sick because what if it wasn’t them searching for Stiles but someone who had nothing but bad intentions on their mind?

  
`Fuck dude, anger issues much?´ Booth asks but any bravery could not be found for the voice with which he spoke was full of fear and uncertainty, his question is answered in the form of Derek’s rising ready to punch the sleazy little man.

  
`Wait! Wait!´ Booth shrieks one hand raised the other clutching the evidently precious bottle to his chest, and like the snitch he was at heart Booth hurries to say, `You can find Magic Man rather close to home.´ Booth voice is loud and desperate obviously he was terrified by the idea that Derek would start ripping chunks off of him, but the answer isn’t the one they’re searching for and so before John can even suggest Derek knock some truths out of the man who claims to be a walking-talking-corpse Derek does just that, the fist breaks the large nose before Derek moves his hand to rest on the shaking shoulder.

  
`Fuck. Shit.´ Booth curses while trying to cover his broken nose without losing hold of his bottle, a couple of teeth drop to the floor as the man speaks. The sudden violence is clearly a shock to Scott who visibly jumps as the first punch hits its target, and as the second one lands Scott yells for Derek to stop and makes a move to stop Derek but John grabs the younger werewolf by the collar of his shirt an pulls him back, they need answers and they need them now because John is done not knowing where his son is.

  
`Where is he? Where’s Stiles? ´ Derek growls before placing enough pressure on Booth’s collarbone to cause it to break, the sound of the bone breaking turns John’s stomach but there is nothing he’s not willing to do or allow his mate to do when it came to finding where Stiles was hiding, but it seemed like the bone-breaking part bothered their Alpha who immediately demanded Derek to stop.

  
`I swear, I swear his right fucking next door to your territory.´ Booth shouts while Derek grabs the now limb arm of Booth, threatening to break every finger before ripping them off of the dirty little hand, the other dirty little hand continued to hold on to the bottle of dusty Jack Daniels for dear life, ` He’s there, he’s part of the Lowell pack, ´ Booth screams and the man is absolutely terrified of losing a finger or two and even John can see it, the mention of the Lowell pack causes Derek to pause.

  
`Aren’t they like right next door to your lot? ´ Booth asks still grasping to his bottle cradling it against his chest, eyes wide and desperate before taking a sip from it while the news settles in.

  
`Are you telling me he’s with the Lowell’s? ´his mate asks with something between disbelief and hurt, and John knows that Derek doesn’t want to believe it because the Lowell pack was right next door to their own pack.

  
The Lowell border connected with the Hale border and that was one of the reasons why Deaton had spent the past two years tirelessly trying to gain an audience with the Emissary of the Lowell pack in order to facilitate a meeting between Scott and the Alpha of the Lowell pack; but the Emissary had remained unresponsive, refusing any gifts sent his or her way, the thing was they didn’t even know is the Emissary was a male or a female and what his or hers interests were which they had believed to be one of the reasons why the gifts always came back.

  
`Are you sure he’s with them? ´ Derek asks voice tight and Booth just nods before drinking from his bottle.

  
`Why? How? ´ Scott looks as lost as John feels because how on earth could Stiles be that close and none of them had known it, how could Stiles be that close and not contact anyone of them?

  
`Well, ´ Booth coughs before picking at his teeth until one drops right out of his moth but none of it slows the odd man down as he continues to speak, ` your former pack-mate, ´ Booth snorts a little at that before pauses briefly before continuing, `Well done by the way with the whole losing him thing, ´ which earns him a punch in the stomach from Derek which brings the dead man to the floor groaning a little.

  
`Shit, dude, really? Just because I’m dead doesn’t automatically make me unable to feel fucking things like pain, ´ Booth hisses glaring up at Derek from the floor.  
`What about Stiles, ´ John asks while pulling Derek from the man on the floor because it’s clear that Derek’s about to really give the man a good beating, ` what were you about to say about my son? ´ John asks the nasty looking man crumbled on the floor.

  
`Well before punchy here decided to be an asshole, ´ the addict says before struggling back up on his feet, `I was about to tell you, ´ Booth glares at Derek for a heartbeat again before continuing with a little bit less hostility, `I was about to tell you that you’ll find Magic Man in the Lowell pack, alright, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll be allowed anywhere near him considering they are very protective of him.´

  
`He’s really there? With them? ´ Scott asks and Booth nods grimly.

  
`But like I said,´ Both continues sounding very much like talking was becoming a labor to him, `they aren’t all that keen on sharing him with other people, especially those they know have already hurt him once, so don’t expect a warm welcome or even a chance to see him. If I’d be you three idiots I’d head to the Alpha’s house without giving them a heads-up, because if he knows you are coming Magic Man will run and that will piss the Alpha off to the point he will turn your entire pack to dust – and trust me the last time Magic Man ran Alpha Lowell ripped through half-the-fucking country in search of him.´

  
`You’re lying. You have to be.´ Derek growls grabbing Booth was more by his stained shirt, Booth just rolls his watery eyes, `There’s no way he’d be that close and not – and not..´

  
`What, you find it hard to believe that Magic Man would decide to stay away from your cheating ass?´ the punch that broke several of Booth’s teeth doesn’t come as a surprise to John who knew the moment Derek’s anger spiked what would happen, it was a dark burning sensation that made him feel uneasy.

  
`Derek! ´ Scott snapped pushing Derek away from the spiteful little man.

  
`Where is he!?´ Derek roared while Booth spat out the broken teeth cursing loudly as several teeth fell to the messy floor, the man had hardly started the day with many teeth and now he was losing more and more of them, John wasn’t certain that by the time they left the apartment Booth wouldn’t be eating through a straw.

  
`I already told you where he is! ´ Booth snaps, `He’s with them because he’s mated with one of them! Okay? And none of that is my fault, okay, so stop hitting me.´

  
`He’s in Beacon County? ´ John breathes out, feeling suddenly incredibly tired and old his son had been so close to home without coming home, it was surprisingly hurtful thought to think his son was so close and didn’t come home not once if only to yell and scream at him and Derek.

  
Booth just nods before washing out his mouth with the last of the whiskey.

  
`He – he’s with them? ´ Scott asks with the same air of disbelief both John and Derek feel because all this time could it be that Stiles was that close to where they were? It seemed impossible. For the past three or so years the Lowell pack had settled back in the territory they’d left the same time as the Hale Fire had happened, perhaps it was because of Stiles they’d returned.

  
`Yes. Trouble in the hearing or the understanding department there oh true Alpha? ´ Booth says before grabbing a bottle of pills, `He’s changed his name but he’s with them, and mated to one of them. From what I’ve heard he’s set-up quite the little life for himself.´ and then he proceeded to swallow several pills in one go, and swallowing them with what looks like a can of beer that was half-empty and sticking up form between the mess of plates and cups.

  
`And now if you’d be so kind to just leave me the fuck alone. If you haven’t seen I’m not in any shape to entertain anyone at the moment.´ Booth says sounding very much like they’d drained what little energy he’d had left to waste. 


	4. Trespassers Beware, There’s Magic In The Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, but I still have all these fears about stuff being lame and so I keep rewriting everything over and over again. I know I need to get over it but it’s easier said than done. So in this chapter we get a tiny taste of where Stiles has been hiding, I kept switching between people’s POV here until I finally settled on Derek’s because I felt it sat better and revealed a bit about the Lowell’s and what was going on in the Beacon Hills pack without all of it overpowering the chapter. Hopefully you’ll enjoy this little chapter.

  
Trespassing on another packs land without their blessing was something you never did unless you were willing to risk an outright war, of course Derek knew this, he also knew that pack’s had been turned to dust for lesser crimes than trespassing, but there they were driving straight into another packs land because Derek’s mate was done waiting; and frankly so was Derek, he was fed-up witnessing and feeling the misery Stiles’ absence caused his beloved mate, and if Derek was perfectly honest with himself then he’d have to confess that he too missed Stiles.

Honestly Derek missed the odd conversations that Stiles had been able to drag him into, he truthfully missed having conversations that didn’t involve sports or work or the desire to build a family and a home. Derek missed having a conversation that wasn’t about Stiles missing, about Stiles being gone, about missing Stiles. Never while with the younger male had Derek ever thought for a second he would miss the random out of the box things Stiles could come up with, however now with years without Stiles’ seemingly mindless thoughts and ideas and facts he missed it all even being awakened by Stiles who suddenly realized something or other and just had to share it immediately be it two in the morning.

Derek could no longer deny that he missed Stiles’ ability to theatrically express the madness behind his actions. He couldn’t deny that after years without Stiles’ madness had made him miss it all.

Hell, Derek even missed Stiles’ constant stressing over his diet as well as John’s, he missed having Stiles’ somewhat overbearing and comical way of showing he cared, and Derek knew John missed it too, they missed the boy and they had been missing him far too long.

But it wasn’t just Derek’s and John’s need for Stiles that had them driving into what could be complete disaster, since Stiles’ disappearance their pack had grown weaker even with having more than one person doing their research the outcome was never the same magnificent display of determination to know more than enough, regardless of how hard Danny and Lydia worked the gathering of information they accumulated always lacked that special something to ensure an upper-hand in battle or negotiations, and when it came to planning forms of action it seemed that something Stiles had could not be found in any of the other pack members not even in John. It wasn’t just the unique way Stiles mind worked or the way he would spend hours searching for that special something that would give them the answer they needed to survive a battle, they all missed his heart and spirit perhaps more than the peculiar wisdom and the out-of-the-box insight Stiles possessed; without Stiles heart Lydia had morphed back into this cold and calculating woman, Isaac seemed to lack the want or ability to show anyone the respect they deserved, and Peter well Derek couldn’t even be sure his uncle was still alive since the man hadn’t been seen in weeks, it seemed once Stiles disappeared Peter’s interest in their pack dwindled into nothing; and frankly with the way Peter had been distancing himself from the pack Derek was beginning to fear that it was just a matter of time until his uncle did something, and Derek feared that this something would be the end of their little pack, after all Peter blamed them all for Stiles leaving.

The pack needed Stiles as much as John and Derek needed him, they needed Stiles back to help them keep Peter inline and to stop their pack from crumbling into dust, and so to trespass on another pack territory was the only option. Considering how it seemed Stiles would rather run than face them, and with their past experiences with trying to contact the Lowell pack there was no other option really left than to drive straight across the border since they needed to know whether or not Stiles was where Booth had claimed him to be. The quicker they confirmed Stiles whereabouts or the lack of the better they would all be for it. They needed to see with their own eyes whether or not the Lowell’s had indeed been hiding the real thing or another false version of their missing pack-mate.

Of course there would be a price to pay for their actions, and Derek could only hope surrendering a fairly large slice of their own territory would be enough to please the Lowell Alpha into not killing the three of them or raging a war against their pack, then again the Lowell Alpha could always demand Scott to mate with one of his daughters since there where whispers the Alpha had more than one daughter but Derek hoped such an arrangement could be avoided.

Personally Derek had never met a single member of the Lowell pack simply because his mother as well as the former Lowell Alpha hadn’t exactly been close, why exactly his mother had never reached out to the Lowell pack was something not even Peter was willing to speak about, even Deaton could not say what it was that had drawn such a deep rift between their two packs. What Derek did know was that a couple of Lowell kids had gone to Beacon Hills High School with Laura and she’d said they weren’t all that bad, then again their mother had suspected Laura had a crush on one of the Lowell boys. Derek wasn’t sure what to expect from the Lowell Alpha or the pack and it made him feel extremely ill at heart.

What Derek did however know was that the Lowell’s were a pack that didn’t associate much with other packs at least not to Derek’s or Deaton’s knowledge, but from what both Derek and Deaton had gathered the pack had grown since Talia’s time and that the Alpha couple were a strong pair strong enough to cause even Deucalion to respond to questions about the Lowell pack and Alpha with an answer of, `I’d rather not say anything that might come back and bite me.´

Driving up the gravel road Derek feels his wolf stir, restless and on edge, instinctively he grabs John by the hand to anchor his wolf that threatened to take control. Every part of Derek’s body demanded he shift and prepare for battle or perhaps to just flee.

Derek is clueless to what will happen once they reach the Alpha’s house and he’s frankly worried for John’s safety as well as his own, he’s worried about what John might say or do in his desperation to find his missing son; to anger the largest pack in the country a belief that seemed to have been confirmed when they’d driven through the small town that had plenty of different establishments around town that were named after the pack, everything seemed to boast the power and influence the Lowell’s had over the small town that had cleaner streets than Beacon Hills and that simply looked picturesque.

Derek’s concerns of safety continued to grow as they continued to drive further up the neat gravel road that cut through the thick barrier of ancient trees, the gravel beating the bottom of the car startling Derek’s nerves over and over again, he’s anxious about the idea of causing a war that their pack would without a doubt lose if the pack was as large and strong as whispers suggested, and above all Derek was worried they would learn that Stiles wasn’t there at all and if so well then Derek would head back to Boston and gut the lying son of a bitch called Booth.

`What’s that smell? And that – that humming, what is it? ´ Scott asks from the backseat, words distorted as his fangs dropped, unlike Derek the younger werewolf didn’t have a mate to ground him, with Stiles departure it seemed like Scott had lost the ability to form attachments with anyone even with his new betas. Derek knows what Scott is referring too while John does not, he’s smelt the strange scent his mother had once called powerful magic long before this troublesome day; however there was a difference to the thickness and power to the smell that now surrounded them, this was twice as more potent than that of the smell Derek had smelt at the age of ten when a gathering had taken place on the Preserve, unlike then when a handful of the most powerful magical beings had gathered Derek could now feel the almost electric buzz of the magic whisper against his skin, and instinctively he knew that there was a warning in the air telling him and his wolf to do no harm. Whoever the Emissary of the Lowell pack was he or she held magic beyond Deaton’s capabilities, at least Derek was assuming this was to doing of the elusive Emissary since no one had heard the Lowell’s to keep company with witches or druids.

`Magic.´ Derek says voice low barely above a whisper, `It’s a warning.´

`A warning? A warning of what? ´ John asks and he sounds as worried as Derek feels.

`To do no harm? ´ Scott says it like a question, and Derek nods, perhaps the younger werewolf was somewhat wiser than what Derek thought he possessed.

`It’s a warning to us.´ Derek feels his wolf growl at that, just the idea of there being magic this powerful set his wolf off, the beast didn’t know whether to bare its fangs or run with its tail between its legs. Derek however knew they could not and would not run, not before knowing whether or not Stiles was alive or dead, safe or in need of rescuing. They couldn’t leave without answers were found.

Not knowing how or where Stiles was, not knowing whether or not he was alive or dead was slowly killing Derek’s mate, and Derek could not lose John not after already losing so much in his miserable life.   
  
The Lowell House appeared at the end of the gravel road that carried them through the impressive forest that gave way to grounds that were vast and well-kept without giving a feeling of it being a park, there was nothing strict or planned about the grounds here and there a patch of flowers grew. There were even chicken walking around freely on the grounds and even a goat that Derek swore gave their car a none-impressed look.   
  
The house of the Lowell Alpha was much larger than the Hale House had ever been and there was a broad porch that seemed to wrap around the impressive building, the house was both impressive and dramatic but without being daunting or uninviting, the colors chosen for the building were warm and light and dare Derek say it welcoming?   
  
The closer to the main house they came the more evidence of children living or at least staying there more often than not began to appear, such as a little pink bike abandoned carelessly near a flowerbed that had seen better days after someone had seen fit to ride their bike through it, there was also a colorful kite stuck up on the roof of the house as were a couple of Frisbees and something that looked suspiciously like a pink cape dangling off of a willow tree; Derek couldn’t help but think and frankly hope that perhaps one day he’d find the same sort of mess in his and John’s future, the idea made him smile for the first-time since this last part of their search for John’s son had started.

Parking the car close to the house next to what Stiles would’ve called a soccer-mom’s car, although Derek had a suspicion that no soccer-mom would allow her kids glue stickers on the windows or the sides of her lovely car unlike what had happened to the vehicle parked outside the house and next to couple less motherly vehicles.   
  
Derek feels his wolf once more trying to surface as it knew they were on dangerous territory but for the sake of his mates peace of mind Derek refuses to give into his wolf, cautiously and slowly the three of them slip out of the car not a word said between them, this silence was mostly due to both Derek and Scott fighting for control of their wolves while all John seemed to be able to think about was the possibility of finally being reunited with his son.

At first it seemed John would uphold to the plan they’d made during the drive out of Beacon Hills, but then before Derek can stop him his mate rushed past both him and Scott who cursed out loud before hurrying after the former Sheriff of Beacon Hills. Derek of course rushes after the man who’d lost so much because of their love, not only had John lost his son but also the respect of the towns people he’d protected for years, once the people of their town stopped trusting him John had seen it fit to quit the job he’d loved so much and for which he’d given more time than he’d granted his only child; John had settled reluctantly with a job as a security guard once it became clear that even his once favorite deputy couldn’t even look him in the eye.

Derek could only hope that this day would be the day when one of the things John had lost was found. By the stars Derek was almost ready to drop to his knees and beg for the search to be over because what sort of a life would their kid have if John continued chasing after his ghost of a son?

Before Derek or Scott could stop the man John was already banging on the emerald-green front door of the impressive house.

While Scott was focused on John Derek’s focus fell on the welcome mat that captivated Derek’s attention, the well-worn mat was the very one that Stiles had wanted once upon a time to lay outside the front-door of the place Stiles had clearly thought they would make a home in, but Derek had chosen to veto that choice back then since he’d thought the mat silly and frankly unnecessary, the words that formed the sentence The House Was Clean Last Week (Sorry You Missed It) caused the wolf in him to pause it’s frantic clawing while a swell of hope rose to the surface of his anxious heart.

`John.´ Derek croaks as the memories brought forth by the welcome mat subside and he’s back to his senses, there is a sudden sense of hopefulness Derek hadn’t felt before blooming inside his chest. John however in his desperate state continues to beat at the door like a man possessed forcing Derek to latch onto the wrist of the man he loved, pleading for John to just wait and allow him and Scott to deal with the Lowell’s; they’ve already acted unwisely no need to insult the pack further by poor manners.

However before Derek can voice a word the cheerfully green door opens, and instinctively Derek pulls John behind him while stepping back just to create a somewhat safer distance between him and whoever it was that was responding to John’s violent knocking.

When the door swings inwards revealing the werewolf who’d taken the task of seeing who it was banging on the door, all three members of the McCall pack are stunned by the person standing there at the door with a sleepy looking one year-or-so old perched on his hip, and the werewolf standing there in the doorway looked equally as surprised to see them as they were to see him.

`Peter? ´ Derek says voicing his confusion and pure and undeniable disbelief at what he’s seeing. Even as he takes in the state of his uncle who stood there wearing nothing but a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt with a very low V-neck, his hair a mess as if he’d only just climbed out of bed with a little and still very sleepy looking child wearing a soft looking onesie perched on his hip. All of it looked so natural and real and yet not.

Peter does seem as surprised as they are by the encounter and stands there unmoving for a minute, before his shoulders tense as a familiar voice calls from within the house, `Who’s at the door Pops? Is it the eggs? Please tell me it’s the eggs or the milk.´ all three of them recognize immediately the voice of Stiles Stilinski even if it was just a little bit rougher around the edges now than what it had been all those years before he’d ran from them.

Derek can’t stop gawking at his uncle like an idiot, but then again he hadn’t expected to find his uncle standing there with a little boy attached to him, a little boy that smelled somewhat familiar and made Derek’s wolf want to touch and rub his own scent all the little boy that had a full head of brown hair and skin as pale as the winter moon. The eldest of the remaining Hale’s shakes his head as if to clear his own head before calling back to what just had to be their Stiles, his voice anything but relaxed as he finally speaks.

`Sadly not the eggs or the milk kiddo,´ Peter’s voice is tight with anger, and his eyes even flash in the direction of both Derek and John, of course Derek had known that Peter had cared for Stiles more than he did Scott or John but this, finding him here was so far from anything Derek could have ever expected.

`Then who is it?´ Stiles calls from within the house at the same time as a half-naked girl with light-brown wavy hair that was a mess rushed past Peter shrieking with bemused excitement, Peter glances swiftly over his shoulder just as what looked like a pre-teen with dark-skin that seemed darker against his light-colored clothes screaming after the girl, `For fudge sake! Luna!´

Peter waits for the boy to stop yelling after the little girl who was now giggling up a storm somewhere while the pre-teen who swears he will glue the clothes on the child if he had too, before finally responding to the question handed to him.

` I’d say unwanted visitors son.´ Peter calls out to Stiles, who responds with a short, `What?´ which seems to be just what’s needed to have John rushing past Derek and trying to get passed Peter who however places himself in the doorway like a wall while keeping the baby that starts to cry at a safe distance from John.

`Stiles!?´ John shouts which startles the little baby further, `Son!?´ the child starts to shift, little human ears turning into pointier ones, eyes shifting from blue to yellow and tiny claws dig into Peter desperate to hold on to what seemed someone the child though safe. Derek can no longer hear the two older kids running around or making any sounds whatsoever.

The sound of something heavy ceramic fall to the floor followed with something lighter and wooden is heard before a desperate roll of desperate No’s begins to fall from Stiles lips, thankfully John can’t hear how much Stiles doesn’t want them there because if he had the man would’ve known immediately that for Stiles even hearing his father’s voice was an unwanted thing.  
  
`Titus, son, would you please take your brother for a minute? ´ Peter calls out over his shoulder and in a flash the pre-teen is there taking the little werewolf cub that seems perfectly fine being handed over to the younger male that had the little girl Luna wrapped around his leg, the little girl who was still wearing nothing but a pair of pink hello kitty panties had shifted much like the baby had, she was making distressed little sounds as she hid her face against the older boys thigh.

`What the hell are you doing?´ John snapped at Peter who remained standing between him and the son John had missed and cried over for years, Peter seemed determined to keep them outside of the house that was loud with children crying and something else as well; that something else came from a couple a floors above, and Derek thought for a moment it sounded like someone rather massive was racing down halls and stairs, something like an angry bull perhaps or a rhino.

Peter doesn’t even budge and inch no matter how hard John pushes against him or yells furiously, `Let me in! Let me see my son! ´

It’s then that a loud roar erupts from somewhere within the house, it was loud enough to shake the windows and walls, but while it caused both Derek and Scott to cower a little and John to jump, Peter seemed perfectly at eased by the loud hostile sound that demanded submission and obedience, that warned that there would be blood spilled if all was not well in the world. If anything the loud roar caused Peter to smirk at the three of them who were now made aware how clearly unwanted they were, the viciousness Derek sees in his uncles smile and gaze was something he hadn’t seen in years and it brought a chill to him he’d never felt before.

`Oh, you are in so much trouble.´ Peter sing-songs while the little girl whines, `Daddy.´ The boy who now had two little ones attached to him quickly moved further away from the door with the little girl still clinging to his leg. 


	5. There Are Still Cracks for All to See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So 15Minutes is back and since Sickly-Sweet-Sweetheart couldn't figure out an original idea she asked for me to throw in a chapter for this fic (I'm so sorry guys) and she wanted it to be about how Stiles feels about his dad and Derek dropping in the way they do, with a hint of angst and whispers about the past Stiles has lived through. 
> 
> I'm so sorry to everyone who have enjoyed this fic this far!

It had been years, years upon years since Stiles had heard that familiar voice that had once long ago before Stiles knew the true meaning of betrayal and heartache brought him comfort, that voice that had once made him feel safe and secure even when the world seemed to hell bent on crushing him, but now that voice that had dragged him out of nightmares brought him nothing good.

Suddenly all of those negative and destructive thoughts and emotions that had nearly dragged him down into an early grave were climbing up to the surface, all the happiness and contentment he’d felt before that voice came calling for him were now becoming overshadow by the dreadfulness of a past Stiles had fought so hard to forget.

That voice, the voice of the man who had brought him, with a great deal of help from the man Stiles had imagined he would grow old with, the greatest of pains and most cruelest of pains Stiles had ever experienced in his life. There was not a single event before or after that dreadful day when Stiles didn’t just lose his father but his friends too that was able to cut him down as good as learning the truth about your father and boyfriend, not even the agony of a miscarriage could ever compare to the agony Stiles still felt to this day whenever he thought about the betrayal and hurt those he had loved the most had caused him, no amount of torture or accidental burst of uncontrolled magic had ever managed to bringing him down as successfully as John Stilinski and Derek Hale and the Beacon Hills pack had.

Hearing the voice of the man that had been his father, a man Stiles had looked up too and in whose footsteps Stiles had believed he would follow, suddenly brought back all the painful memories Stiles had almost managed to convince himself were nothing but a dreadful nightmare; he’d pretended for so long that these people who’d hurt him more than he’d ever imagined anyone of them could were either dead or none-existing, he’d done it all so well that he’d almost started to believe that they were just that none-existing figments of his imagination or bodies buried six-feet under. However playing pretend had never worked well for Stiles, reality had always found a way to crash on him at the most unfortunate time, and so it was now as well, there he stood in the fine kitchen of the house that had become his home with the batter he’d been making for the pancakes which he’d been craving now pooling on the floor at his feet.

A sense of panic was rising within him, one which he hadn’t felt in years not since he found another man, werewolf, to love and to trust with his broken heart and unsteady mind. The unwanted emotions laced with the very memories seemed Hell bent on taking him down, to finally push or rather drag him down into an early grave.

  
Hearing the man Stiles had called his father once upon a time before secrets kept and painful truths hidden came out to play in the light, made it so very clear to Stiles that he could never truly escape his past no matter how many babies he had or how many mornings he was drawn awake from his sleep by gentle kisses and soft touches, his past it seemed would never leave him be.

With the past now standing at his doorstep the destructive cravings of a past the Emissary and mate of the Alpha felt ashamed of began to whisper seductively once more.

Even after all these long years without hearing John Stilinski’s voice Stiles the Alpha Mate the great Emissary of the Lowell pack found himself yearning to drink that voice that was now full of despair away, or to just get in his car and drive to Beacon Hills and find a dealer to give him the fix he now craved. He wanted to put a stop to the cruel memories that had started to play with his sanity.

Hearing John now calling out to him seemed to be just enough pressure to break the Stiles’ sobriety after years of being clean, a sobriety he’d clung too with a feverish desperation ever since he placed his heart in the hands of his husband and mate.

The power that this voice had over him was as infuriating to Stiles, and yet Stiles couldn’t find the strength to give into that anger as the overpowering sensation of dread surged through his battered veins which seemed to crave to feel the flow of poison once more through its narrow and abused pathways. Stiles wanted to numb out the pain this voice that cried for him as if he was all that this deceitful little man needed in his life to survive but that couldn’t be true, it couldn’t be true since this man who’d obviously thought that being a good father meant you had to or could fuck your sons boyfriend had moved on spectacularly well; certainly with some well-placed whispers in the ears of already suspicious souls by one Peter Hale the man crying out for him after years of silence and separation had lost his job, but aside from having to settle for a job as a security guard John Stilinski had faired fairly well in life going as far as starting a new family with the man that Stiles had once so very foolishly loved and dreamt of spending the rest of his life with, after all you had to have a pretty good life if you started thinking about adopting a new son or daughter.

Stiles yearns to find a supplier of goods that could silence the world around him and distort the memories of that night when he learned that the man he’d called his father, the man he would’ve given his life for and who claimed to love him, was nothing more than a liar. But although Stiles knows he could do it, knows he could grab his keys and just drive into Beacon Hills and find a supplier to his terrible itch, he knows he could do it and he knew no one could stop him from sinking the sharp end of a needle into his now clean flesh, he knows he could do it and the only reason he doesn’t just leave to break a sobriety that hadn’t come to him with ease was the little life that moved within his body.

Not even the self-destructive nature of Stiles could make him harm the innocent life that his spark had made possible, not to mention the children he’d already birthed and raised, he knew from his own experiences how dreadfully frightening and sad it was having to watch as one of your parents lost themselves to an addiction. And then there was his Ulric, Stiles could not become a burden on his sweet husband and mate not after everything the werewolf who now let out an all mighty roar had done for him.

Everything seemed to rattle at that glorious sound that had never been directed at Stiles, only at those who would harm him or their pack; it was a sound that meant to him safety and protection while to those who were not under Ulric’s protection it meant danger and possible death. This was one of two roars Stiles loved the most, it held the strength and power of will that made him believe nothing could ever rip them apart, not even Death and Death had come many times for Stiles but Ulric had always dragged him back even when Stiles had been kicking and screaming against it.

Stiles loved his wolf, his mate and husband. Certainly the shape of Stiles love wasn’t the same that it had been for Derek Hale, the trust he’d once had for those he loved was no longer smooth and unwavering as it had been before Stiles walked in a secret that those to whom he had trusted his hear love too had been keeping. And although Stiles had moved on from Derek and the rest of the people who broke his heart and trust, he remained forever changed but thankfully Ulric didn’t hold any of Stiles quirks against him.

Ulric Lowell was a saint, although now he seemed like a dangerous and ready to kill sort of a saint.

Stiles hears his mate move heavy and strong across floors above, and he feels the intensity of his mates need to protect and defend him and their kids, and that feeling and the knowledge that Ulric wouldn’t allow a soul to harm him again eases the deadly cravings inside him and smothers the growing sense of panic and dread inside of Stiles body. Stiles hears his husband leap down stairs, not touching a step of the stairs on the way down, the floor positively vibrates from the impact.

`John!´ Stiles hears a familiar voice shout with alarm before the sound of his own mare roar out a rage Stiles had never heard another beast make, it was such a terrifying sound that if Stiles didn’t trust Ulric’s love and devotion towards him and their children and Peter that he would’ve feared for the safety of those he loved.

`Derek!´ Stiles stumbles a little where he stands at that, at hearing his father cry out with such despair and fear for the werewolf who’d helped break Stiles apart, and although Stiles had been glued back together again there were still cracks no one could deny left behind. He feels like he’d suddenly been punched in the heart and stomach all at once, but although he feels a surge of sorrow and hurt rise within him another much stronger emotion explodes from deep within, and it grows when he hears his father scream for Peter to do something, to help his nephew and Alpha.

`Not my Alpha.´ Stiles hears Peter say calmly enough, `Scott hasn’t been my Alpha, not a week or a day has that runt been my Alpha.´ and the truth was there and Stiles felt it in the bond that held strong between him and Peter and Ulric and the rest of their family and pack, Scott McCall had never rose to Peter’s Alpha and never would.

And although Stiles doesn’t want to see any of the three members of the Beacon Hills pack he starts towards the front-door, after all there was no way in heaven or earth Stiles would let these useless souls harm his husband, and the thought of Derek or Scott drawing blood from his beautiful mate causes the magic in him to bristle and crackling, beneath his skin Stiles feels it grow vibrating and constricting within his veins.

All the family pets rush to hide as they sense a danger none of the wolves could ever create.  
  
Stiles can hear the wind picking-up outside the house, he sees the darkness swoop in over the land as the light of the sun is hidden by the dark clouds and thunder Stiles rage tends to bring forth, he can also hear his first-born daughter Luna pause her screams for her werewolf father and then with a breathless voice she says, `Oh Daddy’s mad.´ 


	6. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I’d like to start of thanking those who have continued to have faith in me and my writing, and who continued to support me even after a small change took place with the previous chapter. I seriously love you guys for sticking around and supporting me, and without you all I would’ve probably finally just deleted this fic. And extra shout out of good energy and love, and major league hugs to you all. 
> 
> Now, I have to confess this chapter was stupid long, crazy long, and I didn’t realize it until now when I started to snip at it and adding to it, and since my laptop doesn’t love the warm weather at the moment or the amount of time I’ve already spent at it I have snipped this chapter, I’ll try and post the other half at some point this week or early next week.   
> Again thank you to everyone who has been so supportive, you have kept me going when I honestly felt like giving-up, you all deserve a gigantic amount of good Karma.

Years had passed, one too many if you asked John Stilinski. Years of constant worrying and fearing the worst had dragged on and on with no end in sight. John had spent years searching for his son, his only son, visiting various grim morgues some new and shiny others grimy and old each whispered rumored to hold his and Claudia’s baby boy.   
  
John had suffered greatly during these dreadful years of separation, and Derek had suffered right alongside him, they’d both paid a horrible price for their love but John had undoubtedly lost the most. And now that there was a light at the end of the great dark tunnel Derek’s uncle of all people stood in the way their way.

All John wanted to do now after hearing Stiles’ voice callout from within the fine house was to see his long-lost child, after years of bitter silence all John wanted to do was hear his son talk to him, scream at him if it meant that they could move on. John wanted to see that his son was alright, he needed to see that his son hadn’t been crushed entirely by his actions. John had to see his own son with his own eyes before he could truly believe what his sense of hearing was telling him, he had to see his son and perhaps even touch before he could truly believe that the day of finding his still only child was finally here.

He had convince his son to listen to him, to understand how truly sorry he was for everything that had happened, John needed Stiles to understand that neither he or Derek had ever wanted to hurt him; he had to make his son see that they had never wanted to cause Stiles any pain or heartache, John wished for Stiles to understand so many things such as how hard both he and Derek had fought against their feeling and how hard it had been considering how they were mates.

But now that John was finally so very close to reuniting with his son there he was Derek’s uncle standing in his way, it didn’t in all honesty shock John all that much to see Peter Hale standing there and trying to keep him from his own son after all Peter Hale had made it perfectly clear he did not care much for John, hadn’t ever thought much of him to start with even before John and Derek fell for each other; John couldn’t prove it but he was certain that Peter was behind the cruel and hateful rumor about him and Derek murdering Stiles and hiding his body somewhere out in the woods.

John had already spent years resenting Peter, but now he truly hated the werewolf for there he stood between John and his son, having this vicious deceitful bastard standing between him and Stiles made John’s blood boil, it had him losing any sense of reality that would’ve told John he was wasting energy on trying to force the monster to step aside, to move just enough for John to slip inside the fine house.

`What the hell are you doing? ´ John snaps sharply at the werewolf that stood between him and his son, a werewolf he now had suspicions had known all along where they could’ve found Stiles. It was not beyond Peter’s nature to think him capable of keeping Stiles away from them only to poison him against his own family and pack.

Peter would do anything for power that John knew very well, after all Peter had killed his own niece.

Suddenly there were children crying but John doesn’t care about these children, there were not his problem, Stiles was all that mattered.

`Let me in! Let me see my son!´ John yells without giving a damn about who he might upset in the process of after all these kids with frightened eyes weren’t his problem. He was completely done with tolerating Derek’s uncle which he’d only done because of Peter being one of two surviving members of Derek’s family, but with Peter now standing there between him and his son John felt like reducing the Hale’s to just two living members, but without a gun there was nothing he could do to stop Peter from breathing and creating havoc where ever he went.

John is just about to punch Peter in his handsome enough face while knowing very well that such an act of violence would hurt him more than it would Peter, but years of frustration, anger and misery was finally threatening to take the best of him, but he barely gets his hand clenched into a fist when a loud roar breaks from somewhere deep within the house, and John pales and his fist unclenches for never before had he heard such an all mighty sound.

The roar was so powerful that John could feel it all the way within his bones. The sound is terrifying, worse than the one Scott had made after he’d found out about him and Derek, this felt a roar that summoned someone’s death. The entire house seemed to groan in fear.

`Oh,´ Peter smirked wickedly at him, eyes sparkling with cruel amusement and it was now as John was silent that he could hear something heavy and fast growing closer, `you are in so much trouble,´ Derek’s uncle mockingly sang while a small voice whined out, `Daddy.´ from behind him.

Suddenly the ground shakes beneath their feet like a small earthquake and Peter’s smile just widens into a whole new level of cruel amusement, the ground trembles beneath their feet as whatever it is that growls and snarls from within the house starts towards them.

John feels Derek’s hands on him just as Peter steps aside giving a rather theatrical bow as if inviting the thing with red eyes to rip them apart.

He’s pulled and shoved and pushed away from the door while this thing with eyes that glowed red like a stop-light on an otherwise darkened street in the darkest hour of the night, he hears Derek cry out something while he himself goes stumbling towards the old bench near the door, the bench was the only thing that stopped John from hitting the ground as his ankle twisted painfully it was at times like these he wished he wasn’t as human as he was.

John hears something that sounds suspiciously a lot like Derek crying out in pain even before a sound that was similar to that of a car crashing into another was heard, the sound was followed by a loud childish cheer. John struggles up on his feet, the knee that had struck the floor was aching something fierce, just as he hears the young Alpha who had resented him and Derek for many years even before Stiles disappearance cry out to what seemed to be the Lowell Alpha, pleading for this Alpha to please listen but he’s cut of and all John hears before a loud thump is a roar that has the free roaming chickens cry out their own distress and fright before sprinting away to hide as well as Scott gasping for breath.

John struggles to right himself, his heart is racing painfully fast and yet unevenly as if that beating organ was determined to take him down before he’s able to see or speak to his long lost son, but it isn’t a fear of having his heart giving out on him that is so terrifying no it’s Derek’s fear that seeps into him through their bond that is the worst; never before had John felt such a pure sense of undeniable fear slip into him through Derek's and his mating-bond, not even when Derek had been close to death only a year prior when a strong but small pack from up north had come to try and take over their territory had this amount of fear whispered through their bond. And as John turns to look for his mate and the young Alpha that had once felt as close to him as his son was he realizes it isn’t Derek’s own mortality that was suddenly suffocating him with a fear unlike any one should ever experience, it was the unfamiliar Alpha that was stalking towards John clawed hands clenching and unclenching.   
  
He staggers backwards ignoring the sharp pain that threatened to tuple him over for the sake of trying to gain some distance between him and this beast of a man that was unlike any werewolf John had ever encountered before, this werewolf was taller than any man John had ever met before and he’d met a couple of very tall men in his life and none of those tall men compared to this werewolf, and if there ever was a man or creature that had the right to be called a giant or half-a-giant it was this enraged Alpha moving towards him; not only was this Alpha taller than any other soul he had met but he was built pretty much the most muscular linebacker with shoulders wide and strong like a bull on steroids, the waist of this man was narrow and strong.

There was no shirt, no blouse or even a tank top to hide the upper-half of a body that looked like it was made to bring shame upon all the other males in the world, John could not help but stare at this creature who had but one blemish upon his skin and it was in the shape of two small footprints and palm-prints both tiny and delicate looking.

This Alpha it seemed was built like some deadly god of war, then again perhaps a god had decided to create his own living and breathing embodiment and now it was stalking towards John with vicious intent. This Alpha seemed like strength had molded itself into a physical form, and now John was faced with this beast that seemed to growl just a bit louder the more John took in the sight before him. John knew he shouldn’t stare, he knew that he should’ve bowed his head in a show of submission and respect but he'd never in his life seen such a thing as this Alpha.

This seemed to be an apex predator one he and his mate should not have angered, and yet John couldn’t help but stare since this beast of a man may have sharp claws and glowing red eyes but nothing about his facial features suggested that he was anything but a human lazily dressed-up for Halloween with false fangs and crimson colored contact lenses. It might kill him, but John just couldn’t turn his gaze away.

Even while fearing for his life John couldn’t help but admire the dangerous beauty of this stranger that was moving towards him with perhaps every intent of ending his life, and for only the second-time in his life John found himself attracted to someone of the same sex and for the second time it made him feel guilty as hell.

The Alpha pauses briefly scenting the air before a disgusted look appearing on his handsome face that held a strong yet not an overpowering jawline that wasn’t covered in a light growth of a beard like Derek’s, this werewolf with messy hair was cleanly shaven, and unlike Derek’s neatly trimmed hair this Alpha seemed to prefer his light-brown hair long although the Alpha had his long locks bound in a messy bun.

John can’t help but be enthralled by this werewolf that snarled viciously at him without warning, ` Bha thu a ‘smaoineachadh a tha thu airidh orm?´ John had no clue of what this man was saying or rather spitting in his direction, but whatever was said seemed to suggest John was something vile and unworthy of even being near this Alpha.

`Tha e salach nam muc.´ Peter quipped from where he still stood by the door, John hears the little voice of the girl called Luna call out cheerfully, `Pig!´ before she started making little oinking sounds which had Peter laughing lightly while praising the child for her cleverness.   
  
The Alpha reaches out towards John with claws extending, itching to rip and tare, and for the first time in his life John found himself fearing a person wearing bright pink bunny slippers. John instinctively raises his useless hands to try and defend himself. He refuses to go down without a fight especially now that he was so close to finding his son for whom he now screamed for.

However before the clawed hands come anywhere near his throat the mountain of a man is tackled against the wall hard enough to cause a long crack to appear on the wall and the nearby window to break. John is both glad to see his mate but also terrified for him since Derek was clearly already injured, he might not see the injure but the way Derek was struggling to breathe and the way he moved favoring right side there was no doubt something had snapped beneath all the layers of clothing and skin, John could also feel a phantom pain that mimicked ever so slightly Derek’s revealing something wasn’t alright with Derek’s ribs and lunges or his left knee.

`Derek!´ John cries out to his husband who now seemed almost as crazed as the Alpha he’d only just pinned against the wall, and John could feel it, he could feel Derek’s determination not to let this Alpha harm him. He could feel Derek’s drive to protect him, to keep him safe even if it killed him.

John could feel a breeze picking-up and the scent of the forest that surrounded the property seemed to grow more prominent than the scent of all the flowers blooming in the garden. And although there was a lot of growling and snarling John could swear he heard whispers carried on the wings of the cool breeze, of course it had to be just a figment of his rattled mind and yet the alarm and anger he though he heard whisper unsettled him even further even before the Alpha made a move neither he or Derek could’ve expected.

The Alpha reached out behind him with a dexterity Derek did not possess digging his claws into Derek’s shoulder causing his love to roar with pain, a sound that grew as this Alpha imbedded his claws even deeper into Derek’s shoulder until without warning he yanked his arm down and that caused Derek to howl in agony and claw at the Alphas arm while he was lifted off of the floor.

`Oh God!´ John cried out in horror, and it was then as Derek’s legs were kicking air and the back of those great muscular thighs that the beast finally spoke in a language John could understand, `Leave now. And take your filthy whore with you.´

John can only cry out in horror, he can’t do anything to stop what is happening, there is nothing he can do to stop there werewolf from throwing his husband like some ragdoll, and the Alpha doesn’t only throw Derek the Alpha throws him in John’s direction. John isn’t quick enough to avoid Derek crashing in to him and bringing him down to the hard porch floor, and although he could usually appreciate Derek on top he certainly didn’t when it involved a great deal of pain. He couldn’t breathe with the heavy weight on top of him, and Derek groaned with pain and discomfort as he rolled over onto his side.

`Get. Leave. And never ever come back.´ the Alpha snarled turning his back on both him and Derek sharply as a loud roar and angry roar erupted from somewhere near the car and John had no trouble recognizing Scott’s roar. John sees the Lowell Alpha turns his attention towards Scott.

`Titus, take your sister inside the house, ´ Peter orders but the small child that had stepped out onto the porch most likely her curiosity getting the better of her fears, the little girl protested loudly expressing a want to see as her daddy fight the bad wolves, but that is all John hears since suddenly Scott cries out in which spurs Derek on to get back-up and fight even when he clearly wasn’t in any shape to do so.

By the time John is back on his feet, both Derek and Scott were attacking the Alpha who kept throwing them around like they were nothing more than tiny stuffed toys, which naturally had John screaming for Peter to go and help Scott, to help his alpha.

`Not my Alpha.´ Peter shockingly replies so very calmly that is leaves John gawking at him in pure disbelief, `Scott hasn’t been my Alpha, not a week or a day has that runt been my Alpha.´ Peter grins viciously at him before saying, `My Alpha is perfectly capable of dealing with weak beta and a True Alpha who has no clue on how to be a True Alpha.´ Yet Peter’s eyes flash blue and he growls dangerously as Alpha Lowell cries out in pain after Derek ripped a large chunk off of his shoulder with his teeth.

There’s a large dog with a huge head and a muscular body covered in old but healed scars and who was missing an eye came rushing out of the house a cat darting between its legs, the black and white cat was missing a leg and half its tail, the dog and cat were closely followed by another dog one that looked suspiciously like a pit-bull except John was pretty sure pit-bulls were meant to have four functioning legs and should’ve had a slightly longer lower-jaw all of the odd looking pets rush of and hide.

The wind starts to pick-up and a darkness started sweep over the land as dark thundering clouds moved over to hide the sun.

`Oh Daddy’s mad.´ John hears the little girl say through the pained cry, her distressed cries for her daddy pausing and changing into a breathless and it reminded him of Stiles when he’d been at that age and saw his first magician practicing his art. John hears the cry out in pain, his attention had slipped from both Derek and Scott as the rumbling clouds came rolling in giving Scott a perfect chance to dig his claws into his chest.

There’s a flash of lightning but it isn’t the flash of lightning or the loud sound of it that causes Peter to flinch, at least John doesn’t think that it’s the lighting that causes Peter’s claw from appearing and by the way Peter’s entire body goes tense and the way his eyes flash blue, but before Peter can join the fight a pale hand appears and grasps the older werewolf’s shoulder and Peter relaxes immediately and the claws and fangs are drawn back.

John can’t breathe as he sees the pale tall young man step out into the dark and windy outdoors.

Stiles had lost the softness of his features as if life had carved out a whole new person when John wasn’t looking, when he wasn’t there to protect him, his son was sporting a set of old scars that clearly had been made by a werewolf that went across the left side of his face and down his long neck. Stiles had reverted back to wearing a buzz-cut that John knew Derek had never cared for.

It was almost difficult for John to believe that this was his son since everything about Stiles had changed, his son stood tall and proud as he stepped out onto the porch, there was almost something regal about the way Stiles carried himself or perhaps a great knight from some fairytale.

John struggles to believe that this young man who glares in his direction with eyes that seemed to almost glow and flash like Stiles had replaced his beautiful brown eyes, the very ones that had always reminded John of Claudia, with drops of captured lightning, but instead of Stiles responding to him his son turns sharply his attention back to the werewolves fighting out on the lawn near what looked like a bunch of animals carved from wood.

Stiles doesn’t even glance in his direction when he breathes out the name Claudia had picked for him, but Stiles shoulders tense and his jaw clenches but instead of giving John any more time Stiles walks almost clumsily down the steps and heads towards where Derek and Scott were trying to take down the Alpha was bleeding profusely from the great deal from the great wound Derek had created but a moment ago.

It’s only when the wind starts to play with the thin fabric of a far too big plaid shirt that showed a great deal of the pale flesh of Stiles shoulders that John notices the strange but familiar round shape of a baby bump, he’d seen it enough times to recognize the real deal and yet he struggles to understand what he’s seeing.

`Oh my God.´ John gasps in shock, ` Oh God.´

`Oh God what? ´ Peter asks rather mockingly while picking up the little girl who had been trying to climb up and into his arms for a minute or two, the little watches eagerly after Stiles eyes wide and eager to see everything while one hand played with Peter’s hair; and John knew how Peter hated it when someone messed with his hair to be absolutely surprised by the way Peter seems to lean into the touch.

` Oh my, didn’t you know,´ Peter smirks nuzzling the little girl’s round pink cheek before planting a soft kiss on it, `Oh John, weren’t you aware that Stiles has been giving birth to perfect little babies? And you call yourself his father.´

`What?´ John croaks his heart is doing a bunch of strange things inside his chest, and his brain feels like it had consumed a bag of Pop Rocks. Peter’s grin just grows as he moves his eyes down to the little girl who starts to call out, `Daddy! No worry Daddy’s coming! ´

`Isn’t she just a precious little princess,´ Peter says before kissing the top of the child’s head before looking directly at John, `Who knew Stiles could make such beautiful little children?´

`Children?´ John croaks looking at the little girl and then at the baby the teen was holding, the boy asked something in a low voice and Peter gave him a short nod before taking the smaller boy while the teen hurries back inside the house, and Peter well he looked perfectly happy and comfortable holding to little kids.

His heart beats twice as faster than it had done before and John just can’t breathe suddenly as he sees a great deal of similarities between the two kids Peter was holding and the child John and Claudia had made and raised.

`Oh my God.´ John gasps as the realization that he’s a grandfather hits him like a ton of bricks.

`Oh papa, look magic! ´ the little girl exclaims excitedly pushing her little hand against Peter’s cheek, none too gently guiding him over to where Stiles, a pregnant Stiles was located, John however can’t stop staring at the two little ones Peter was holding. These two little kids, these beautiful little children were John’s grandkids.

John had been a grandfather for at least three years and he hadn’t known. Stiles had babies of his own and didn’t tell him, and that hurt. No, it didn’t just hurt it was like having your whole heart and soul ripped to pieces and stitched back together and allowed to heal a little before getting shredded into pieces again.

Stiles had cut him out of his life so completely, but had Stiles done out of spite or had someone urged him to do so? Had Peter or this Lowell Alpha poisoned Stiles against him? John couldn’t believe his son would do such a thing not without someone pushing him to take such cruel and drastic actions. No, not his son, his son who at the age of five gave a homeless man the cupcake he’d begged John to get him simply because the man had looked so sad, his son wasn’t this hateful and cruel without certain manipulative someone’s influence. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now Ulric the Alpha of the Lowell pack and Stiles husband and mate says something in the lines of, `You think you are worthy of me, you think you deserve me?´ to John, which of course John doesn't. And Peter responds to this By answering to the Alpha, ` He is a filthy swine.´ which is why Luna yells out the word, `Pig.´


	7. Mo Madadh-Allaidh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here we go another chapter for this little fic, although one might say this is part two to the previous one since I had to snip it due to the length of my poor writing.

  
The magic in him, the very spark Deaton Scott’s trusted Emissary had belittled so was pulsating beneath his pale and marked skin, it seemed as eager as Stiles was to show exactly how great it truly was, granted the spark had been nothing more than a tiny seedling waiting to be nurtured into the almighty force that now could uproot great old trees without effort. The spark in him wanted to show the True Alpha what it could do, to show that it wasn’t useless or weak like the Emissary had claimed it to be.

Stiles could feel the eagerness of the spark whisper beneath his skin reminding him of all the great things it could do and had done in the past. The spark within him wanted in its eagerness to go wild and if Stiles hadn’t spent years learning to control this strange power within him it would’ve undoubtedly acted freely, but Stiles had a firm hold of his spark and he was the master of this wild energy that could be as destructive as it was capable of creating life.

It would be Stiles and Stiles alone who decided how exactly his spark would manifest itself before their enemies, but together they would show not only the True Alpha but also the werewolf who’d they’d foolishly loved and latched on to how truly remarkable and glorious they were, they wanted to show how they were so much more than what Deaton could’ve ever have foreseen them to be.

They were so much more than the itsy bitsy drop of magic the Emissary had claimed, they were so much more than just a hyperactive little bastard with a pinch of magic that allowed Stiles to play around with a teaspoon of ash.

Stiles and his spark had enough power these days that he could’ve without breaking sweat had Great Britain and Japan turn into the modern day versions of the Atlantis, not that Stiles would ever do such unless of course history repeated itself and he too lost all he loved.

The spark in him was something that had made more than one wielder of magic bow before him, swearing their allegiance and loyalty to him and in return Stiles was willing to offer them his wisdom and support; emissaries came to him for guidance and acceptance, as well as training now that Stiles was an emissary in his own right.

Stiles would never again accept being treated as someone who was nothing more than a tag-along friend or the Robin to someone’s Batman, Stiles would no longer stand for it.

And if Stiles wasn’t about to let anyone belittle him, disrespect him, then he would most certainly not allow it to happen to his husband either.

Walking across the lawn that sparkled with drops of dew Stiles could feel the magic of nature seep into him, embracing him, welcoming him and his spark to come out and play. He could sense the magic in the air intensifies as his own power was joined with that ancient and power magic that was the start of everything living. There’s almost a constant steady hum in the air alongside the exhilarating crackling of electricity, it makes Stiles feel like he’s a loaded gun ready to go off and take down anyone standing in his way.

Time seems to almost stand still as he makes his way towards the battling trio, the ground shakes with the strength and violence of these creatures Stiles had long ago stopped fearing, under the gentle guidance of all the elements each of which possessed a fierceness he respected and a beauty he appreciated there were not a lot of things Stiles feared in life, he’d consumed enough knowledge not to fear death or life. Stiles was no longer the same young man who had ran from people that had betrayed and hurt him, he was no longer the same addict that had fought against anyone who wanted to show him kindness.

Stiles Lowell wasn’t the same person Stiles Stilinski had been, and it seemed this was the time to show exactly that.

He feels Peter reach out to him through the bond as he makes his way across the yard the wind picking-up and the sky above flashing and rumbling dangerously, feeling the comfort and support Peter offers feels to him like a warm blanket on a cold winter night; he feels Peter’s confidence in his ability to handle the situation, and yet Stiles knows that the werewolf would still rush to his aide if Stiles asked him too, and even if he didn’t ask after all Peter didn’t care about Stiles’ opinion if he thought Stiles was in danger.

Stiles could heart his daughter cheering for him as well as Ulric even though he’d asked the kids to go inside the house, but knowing Luna she’d used her puppy-dog eyes on Peter which always made her chosen grandfather to yield to her will, Peter was weak when it came to the kids and not just Stiles kids but also the other little ones in the pack; Peter had pretty much become the grandfather to all of the little cubs, pups and children of the pack, he wasn’t Uncle Peter here he was Papa or Pops.

Stiles knows that the only reason why his little girl wasn’t a screaming and crying mess by now was simply because Luna held an unwavering faith that her daddies would never fall without rising again, his daughter held a trust that Stiles hadn’t felt towards his own father since his mother had fallen ill; having his father doubt the truthfulness of Stiles word when it came to his bruises or why Stiles’ homework wasn’t handed in or why Stiles books were falling to pieces, had chipped away at Stiles ability to trust his father as had the heavy drinking, and yet Stiles had loved his father enough to never tell anyone what was going on behind closed doors. Stiles was determined never to break Luna’s faith in him or Ulric, he would never have any of his kids ever having to hide under their bed in fear or clean-up bottles and sick before going to bed or before grabbing a bowl of cereal and heading to school after a sleepless night of worrying. Stiles had loved his father even if his childhood hadn’t been as great as many thought it had been even with the death of his mother, only Peter and Ulric as well as Derek knew about the life Stiles liked to pretend hadn’t existed, but Stiles love just wasn’t strong enough to deal with John and Derek betraying him together.

Stiles would never hurt his kids the way John had hurt him, if he ever did then Stiles would let his spark consume him whole until all that was left of him was a pile of ashes and a few charred bones. Stiles would never make the same mistakes his father had made.

Stiles comes to a stop a few feet from the bloodied mess of a ground, the spark in him flares as one of the nasty little beasts rips a great big chunk off of Ulric’s shoulder.

`Get your filthy claws off of my husband! ´ Stiles roars when he feels a flash of Ulric’s pain, his mate might try and hide it from him but there was very little Ulric could hide from Stiles due to their bond, and yet his mate always made attempted to hide any and all pains he might suffer whenever he was injured but then again so did Stiles.

All it takes is a little bit of imagination and a whole lot of will to have the two wolves from his past get ripped off of his mate, there was no waving of hands of voicing his actions since it would only give his enemies a possible upper-hand, all Stiles had to do was imagine what he wanted and wish it to be so and the spark within him would make it so; and what Stiles imagines is having both Derek raised high above the treetops where neither could do him or his mate no more harm, he hears the scream and cry out in shock and pain as the hold of their necks tighten.

Stiles watches with cruel satisfaction as both wolves are sent higher and higher, closer and closer to the dark and dangerous clouds that were rumbling with unspent energy.

Stiles hears Ulric coughing out his name drawing his attention away from the wolves, his name now soaked with blood escaping from the beautiful mouth that could kiss him so sweetly but also kiss him so savagely that it left Stiles breathless, Stiles turns his gaze from the two struggling wolves dangling in mid-air with their legs kicking wildly when he heard his life and soul companion call out to him it seemed to be a reaction engraved in his very soul.

Seeing Ulric on the ground on his knees, one hand seeking support from the bloody ground while the other was pressed against the horrible wound that sat deep and cruel at the junction of his broad strong neck and powerful shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers and staining his beautiful strong hands and arms as well as the shoulder and chest which shook under each struggled breath the Alpha did manage to take, made Stiles heart clench painfully while another part of him flared-up all ugly and vicious.

Seeing his love, his mate, his equal in such a shape made Stiles squeeze the magic that had curled around the throats of his enemies before tossing both across the yard with a flare of fury he hadn’t felt in years, not since that dreadful day a hunter decided it was perfectly acceptable to empty his shotgun on Stiles round belly; Stiles may have survived it but the baby had been shredded only pieces of flesh held the small body from crumbling entirely as Peter scooped it out of Stiles body, Stiles would never forget the look on Peter’s face or the way the older wolf took care so that neither Stiles or Ulric could see the broken body of their unlucky child, Peter had carefully stitched the body back together again and washed it clean and wrapped in the pale-blue blanket he’d bought the child before he allowed Stiles to see the little boy they had all loved so greatly.

Stiles felt the want to have both Derek ripped to pieces the way he had done to the hunter the moment Stiles felt the little bond of the child that never had a chance to feel the warmth of the sun against its skin or feel safe and secure in the arms of its family, Stiles had been bleeding and in pain as he had every bone in the hunters body explode and his pierced skin torn off of the hunters body in one swift go, and before Stiles had lost consciousness he’d had the man with the shotgun ripped to pieces. Peter had with a few chosen betas hunted down the hunters comrades after little Sirius Lowell was laid down to rest it hadn’t even taken a week for Peter to return with all of their hearts in neat little jars.

But Stiles doesn’t want Luna to see the monster he could become, the monster he might be, and so he leaves the wolves with their skin intact and their hearts still beating, and instead he rushed over to his beloved wolf. His bare feet are quickly painted bloody crimson as were his hands as Stiles reaches out to touches his injured husband, he is deaf to the sound that leaves the two wolves that crashed to the hard and unforgiving ground. Nothing else matters to Stiles at that moment than his Ulric.

`Oh my Love, what have they done to you.´ Stiles breathes out softly as he combs back the stray and bloodied hairs that had framed the handsome face. The Alpha smiles weakly at him while leaning into his touch, seeking instinctively comfort from him.

`I will heal.´ Ulric coughs his deep voice raspy and wet, the trail of blood at the corner of his mouth grows a little, Stiles can hear John Stilinski screaming for the beta that had broken Stiles’ heart a heart Ulric had stitched back together again and held gently in his hands daily.

`I know you will.´ Stiles says as he wills his magic to aid his powerful wolf to heal faster.

`Chan eil.´ Ulric groans, grabbing Stiles by the hand before kissing the palm of Stiles hand gently, `Chan eil. I’m fine. Don’t waste your strength on me.´

Stiles can hear John crying out Derek’s name over and over again as he hurries towards the werewolf, but Stiles ignores the human for now, focusing his energy and attention on healing his silly wolf. He may want to hurt both Derek and John, but he desires above all to have his mate strong and well again.

`Nothing is ever wasted on you, mo madadh-allaidh.´ Stiles tells his mate before kissing his forehead softly sending a spark into the injured body, a spark to kick Ulric’s natural healing ability to overdrive, Stiles moves to gently kiss he closed and heavy eyelids willing more strength into the drained body.

`Now, go and hold your little cubs,´ Stiles tells his mate as he feels Ulric grow stronger and as he sees the wounds big and small mend before his very eyes, `Go, cheer me on mo madadh-allaidh, so I can remind you why I am worthy to be your mate.´

`Don’t. ´ the Alpha says firmly placing one bloodied hand against the swell of Stiles belly while the other hand captures Stiles own hand gently, `Don’t ever think I do not know your worth, ´ and with slightly unsteady legs the wolf that towered above him rose to stand, leaning down to rest his forehead against Stiles’ own, `You are my mate, the father of my children, my light in the darkness. You have proven your worth to me the second you returned to me.´

Looking down at their joined hands Stiles couldn’t help but feel amazed over how truly dwarfed Stiles was in comparison to Ulric, and yet this giant of a wolf was far more gentler and sweeter by nature compared to Stiles’ own nature. Ulric’s touches were soft and careful most of the time that Stiles could almost forget the fact that Ulric was capable of extreme violence if need be, he’d seen his mate crush the skull of an Alpha with a single hand when he’d come to challenge him in hopes of gaining Stiles; Ulric had walked through dragon fire for Stiles’ sake, he’d ripped through the bone hard scales and ripped out its still beating heart and presented it as well as the dragons skull to Stiles as a courting gift.   
  
`Please, just don’t strain yourself,´ Ulric pleads before kissing Stiles softly as if he was waking Stiles up after a long nights of rest.

`Trust me my love.´ Stiles says softly gazing into those beautiful dark eyes that always seemed to promise him love and support even when Stiles didn’t feel like he deserved it, those eyes hadn’t judged him for trusting the word of the hunter who killed their unborn child. Those eyes had never judge him unkindly, not even when Stiles attempted to drink away his life, not even when Stiles was still injecting poison into his veins not once had those eyes judged him.

`Tha mi.´ Ulric replies softly, kissing Stiles forehead equally as gently his lips brushing softly against the pale skin there before continuing to say, `Cuiridh mi.´   
  
Hearing Ulric say that he trusted him, and that he would trust him made Stiles heart flutter with joy and love, as did the next few words Ulric gave him while moving the large hand off of Stiles stomach bringing it up to cradle Stiles cheek gently, `Go on my Spark, go and play. Show them what they’ve lost and what I have gained. Seek your revenge and peace. ´

`By the Gods I love you.´ Stiles says just loud enough for his mate to hear before sanding on his tiptoes to kiss Ulric who had to bend ever so slightly down to accept the small gift.

`You’d better for my love shall never die.´ is the last thing Ulric says before kissing Stiles on the top of his head and walking around Stiles, giving Stiles ass a light and affectionate slap, `Now go on dear, show them how a real man protects his family, ´ and with that Ulric hurried off towards where Peter still stood with their kids, and while Ulric went to find comfort and strength in their family Stiles turned his attention towards the people he’d once considered family.

Scott had fallen, dropped, crashed near the large treehouse Ulric and built for Stiles to ensure him a place where he could go to be alone when Stiles just needed some time alone to sort out his emotions or his spark, Stiles had always wanted a treehouse as a child and his father had always promised him one but he’d never gotten around to build one and so Ulric with the help of the pack made sure to make one of Stiles’ dreams come true. Stiles loved that treehouse and it was one of the few place he and Ulric could have some alone time together without having to fear that Luna would walk in on them.

From Scott’s still form and the slow but steady heartbeat Stiles knew his former best friend was unconscious and thus made the choice of whom he would face first that much easier, turning his attention away from the unconscious Alpha Stiles’ blood starts to run hot as sees the man he refused to call his father cradle the head of the person Stiles had foolishly loved and trusted blindly, the wind picks up and the sky flashes above his head and as he starts towards the two men he had loved and would’ve died for in a heartbeat he wills John away from Derek, and what he wished so it would be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when Ulric says, ` Chan eil, ´ he’s pretty much saying no, telling Stiles no. And Mo madadh-allaidh is Stiles calling Ulric his wolf because let’s face it Ulric is Stiles wolf. And Ulric saying, ` Tha mi, ´ is pretty much him saying, `I do, ´ and `cuiridh mi, ´ is `I will.´


	8. Where His Loyalties Stand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings everyone! I know, I know it’s been forever. But I’m not going to post chapters I’m not at least a tiny bit happy with, not that whatever I’m happy with matters with some people. Still, here’s an update, a small chapter but a chapter no less. One which I know some of you will bitch about because it’s not Stiles’ kicking Derek’s and Scott’s and John’s butts, but I wanted to give Peter a tiny moment because he deserves it. Sure, this is a chapter focused mostly on Peter’s thoughts and feelings about Stiles, and a bit about Ulric. 
> 
> Now due to some stuff that has happened, I might not be at my best to day in writing this chapter and posting it, but I seriously needed a distraction or I might just breakdown crying again. My responses to some comments so I'll probably not respond today or even tomorrow due to the state I'm in. Don't take it personally, alright. I just need to get rid of the sorrow in my heart and just get over some stuff so I don't hurt anyone's feelings with a careless response. 
> 
> And to everyone who still, even after this chapter, support me and this fic I seriously love you guys and appreciate your support more than any of you can ever imagine. 
> 
> Until next time, take care, be good, and if you guys have kids or pets or someone you love.... do me a favour and just give them a kiss and a cuddle because the time we think we have isn't always the one we get.

There was something positively magnificent about Stiles whenever he walked out onto a field of battle. The sight of the young man who possessed a great heart facing an enemy was always thrilling to Peter. Seeing Stiles at his best always made Peter feel years younger. Even if Peter did nothing else but stand to the side, holding in his arms Stiles' child, watching Stiles free some of his powers it was exhilarating to him.

 

Seeing the once more pregnant young man like this, all strong and powerful in ways that none could've imagined years ago it made Peter incredibly happy. Seeing Stiles well and able it eased the lingering concerns Peter still had about the well-being of the one Peter could not help but view as _his_ son.

 

Peter wasn't proud of his inability to completely be rid of the concerns that had been born when he'd found Stiles all fragile and broken, nearly lost to him and the world all those years ago. This fear of losing the wonderful young man who possessed a mind Peter appreciated, it continued to haunt Peter more so whenever Stiles' unhappy past raised its ugly head.

 

After witnessing Stiles at his absolute worst and at his weakest, Peter could truly appreciate all the good days when Stiles was in good health and humor. Every day spent with a happy and healthy Stiles was a brilliant day for Peter. Witnessing Stiles at his absolute best, freeing just a fraction of the amazing power he possessed, was made extra special after seeing Stiles down and low.

 

Watching Stiles now all strong and powerful, Peter couldn't be more grateful of being part of Stiles' life.

Standing there on the porch where he and Ulric had often spent time together, watching over the youngest members of their pack while giving Stiles his much needed alone-time up in his beautiful treehouse, Peter was unable to see a great deal of difference between this mature and powerful version of Stiles and the less-so-powerful younger-one from years ago. Certainly the alpha-mate and trusted emissary of the Lowell pack moved with regal-grace befitting of his standing, but aside from growing into his body and becoming one with it, very little else had changed in the manner with which Stiles faced hostile entities.

 

Stiles' heart and loyal nature hadn't changed much, of course both his good heart and ability to trust had been wounded by the sickening betrayal of those Stiles had once called his family, but thankfully the damage caused by Stilinski and Derek and those loyal to Scott McCall was not beyond repair. It was a blessing for Peter at least to be allowed to see Stiles at his greatest nearly daily.  

 

Even way back when Stiles was but sixteen it was Stiles' nature that had drawn Peter to him like a moth to a flame, the stubborn heart that refused to surrender to fear was one Peter could cherish without desiring to ruin it. The bright and open mind that Stiles possessed was one that had made Peter able to appreciate the son of the Sheriff that much more. 

 

Stiles had never appeared weak to Peter even if he may have claimed the boy weak whenever Peter feared for the safety of the boy, which was not that much different from Peter's actions when he attempted to keep the younger members of the Hale-pack out of danger.  Stiles had _never_ been weak, Stiles wasn't weak, he was the strongest person Peter knew and it was infuriating to Peter when anyone doubted Stiles strength. 

 

Still, although Peter had never seen Stiles as weak, nothing had prepared him for the level of power hidden beneath the pale skin of the young man he claimed as his son years ago, a claim Stiles had never disputed or refused which had made something warm and comforting to bloom within Peter's chest that had yet to leave him.

 

Standing there watching Stiles in all his incredible glory, Peter feels very much like a proud father. Peter knew that Stiles could bring death and destruction to the world if he so wished it, but thankfully Stiles preferred to be a creator not a destroyer for else the world would be in ashes by now.

 

In Peter's opinion the most glorious creations of Stiles were the children Peter was allowed to love and care for. Stiles greatest act, deed, was allowing Peter to be the grandfather he'd lost all hope of ever being.

 

Watching Stiles who was once more proudly pregnant, facing parts of a painful past that Stiles had for a little while attempted to drown out with the help of alcohol and drugs, Peter felt incredible proud of the young life-giver. 

 

Seeing Stiles so strong, so sure in his step, it was beautiful. Watching Stiles wield the power nature itself had blessed him with, _this_ power that had been ignored by the likes of Deaton and many others who could not see past the frail human body the power dwelled in, it made Peter feel incredibly honoured to have assisted Stiles in his way to become the wise and powerful individual he now was. Stiles had become a person many different creatures sought counsel from, Stiles had become everything Deaton had desired to be but could never become. 

 

After nursing Stiles back to health, Peter spent a great deal of his own wealth and influence to gain Stiles the teachers and knowledge Stiles needed. There had been _nothing_ Peter hadn't done to help the power in his favourite grow, to bloom into the glorious power that Stiles now held and never used to its full-potential.

 

The power Stiles held in his grasp was the sort many coveted.

 

Knowing McCall and Derek it wouldn't take long for them to believe that Peter and Ulric had helped Stiles for their own selfish desires, which was absurd since Ulric was a very powerful even without Stiles at his side. Ulric was an alpha with both strength, wisdom and the ability to see his own faults and weaknesses, he was also an alpha with a stable and strong pack that was united in their desires. Ulric had no need for Stiles' power and to claim otherwise was an insult to Peter's alpha. Peter would not stand for any disrespect directed towards or Ulric or Stiles.  

 

Peter knew that his nephew and McCall would accuse not only Ulric of horrible things, they'd do the same with him, possibly accuse him of great many more disgustingly untrue things than what they would do with Ulric.  They would claim no doubt that he was simply waiting for the perfect moment to steal Ulric's power away and do the same to Stiles, just the thought makes something unpleasant twist in Peter's belly.

 

Harming his alpha would harm Stiles, and causing Stiles any harm would be as bad as being burned alive once more. Hurting Stiles would cause not only great distress to Ulric but also the little lives the two had created, and Peter would never do such a horrible thing to Ulric or the babies Peter loved with all his heart. 

 

Peter was certain that there would be claims made that he'd manipulated Stiles, twisted him against the Beacon Hills pack and everyone else who had ever wronged Peter. It was frustrating, irritating,  that anyone would think Stiles weak enough to be manipulated, but the weak of heart and mind would find faults in everyone else instead of accepting their own flaws this much Peter knew. 

To say that Peter hadn't attempted to manipulated Stiles when he felt the urge to protect Stiles, to keep the younger man and the babies out of danger, that would be untrue because he'd done it and Stiles knew it. Stiles ever wise had always seen right through Peter fancy words and yet Stiles would entertain Peter by remaining close to home while expecting, and following the wishes Peter made without voicing them clearly, and Peter knew that Stiles did all of this because he was aware of Peter's fears of losing Stiles and the family he'd finally found; there was no doubt in Peter's mind that Stiles understood how truly devastating it had been not only for Ulric when they lost one of their cubs, even now as Peter held Luna he still missed that little life lost.

 

Kissing the flushed cheek of baby Luna, Peter swallows down the lump in his throat and damns the tears that threatened to fall. Peter would never taint Luna or any of the other babies with his own sorrow and great regrets. Peter would light a candle for the little ones lost, and do the same at the shrine dedicated to the Hale's lost, he would do so once the babies were tucked away safely in bed and perhaps he would be joined by Stiles and Ulric.

 

Standing there, holding one of the precious little ones that viewed him as the ever-wise and entertaining grandfather, Peter knew that Stilinski and Derek, and none of the other fools back in Beacon Hills would ever understand what Stiles or the Lowell pack meant to him. No matter what Peter would say or do, none of these people who betrayed Stiles would _ever_ believe just how much Stiles and Ulric or the kids meant to him. Only those who had watched them grow into a family could perhaps understand and see where Peter's heart and loyalties lay. 

 

Peter knows that his nephew and the others could never understand, would never understand the change in him, he knew they would never be able to see him as anything other than a monster.

 

If Peter was honest his heart ached whenever he was stuck in Beacon Hills or across the country on Lowell pack business, if moments of separations weren't necessary for the safety or well-being of the pack that had accepted him with all his flaws, then Peter would never be able to endure the ache that sat and grew in his chest while away from those who trusted him around their young. Being made to feel useful, dependable, and being shown love and affection on a daily basis was rather addictive to someone like Peter, someone abandoned not once but twice by his own blood. Being once more part of a pack, a proper pack felt wonderful, it settled both him and his wolf to finally have people around him that wouldn't leave them to die alone in some small room. 

 

The Lowell's, young and old, as well as Stiles had become the family Peter had been missing. Long before Ulric handed his firstborn for Peter to hold, this pack had become his family, but being trusted to hold the small bundle that hadn't even been half-an-hour old to be trusted to him it was without a doubt one of the greatest moment in Peter's life.

 

Standing there on the porch of the house that Peter had been allowed to try and fire-proof without judgement, a house that belonged to an alpha who had encouraged Peter to do the same to the same to the homes of his betas, Peter watched over Stiles as he often did.

 

Making sure Stiles remained safe and alright all the while listening for any sign that Stiles might strain himself, was now second-nature to Peter as was keeping an ear on the little heartbeat of the yet to be born that was already greatly loved by all.

 

Kissing softly the temple of the little girl in his arms, placing all his love and affection into this small display of affection, Peter continued to listen-in on the gentle conversation between Ulric and Stiles. Listening to the Alpha who'd accepted him as he was, yet again proving his worthiness of Stiles. Peter couldn't help but feel incredibly proud of having an Alpha like Ulric Lowell, Ulric the great Alpha Giant didn't treat or view Stiles as someone weaker. Ulric's love and acceptance of Stiles was beautiful, as were the babies the Alpha and his mate created.

 

While Stiles started towards the man who no longer deserved to be called father, the smell of ozone that already permeated the area grew stronger, causing Peter's own heart to leap with excitement even without Luna's thrilled screams and demands voiced clearly. 

 

Although it couldn't be easy for the impressive Alpha to leave his pregnant mate to deal with the remnants of a painful past, Ulric Lowell made his way towards the house earning him an excited wave from his little daughter, on his way picking-up one of his godawful pink bunny slippers which Ulric wore around the house proudly simply because they were a gift from Luna. 

 

The sense of magic and electricity crackling in the air causing hairs to stand on edge, not that it bothered Peter simply because he trusted the younger male. Stiles would never harm anyone that wasn't the target of his wrath. Stiles had a level of control not even Ulric possessed. 

 

`Ready for a great show? ´ Peter asked his alpha as the ridiculously tall man came to stand next to him, looking a little bit worse for wear due to blood stains on his slightly torn clothes, but there was nothing weak or fragile about the werewolf who'd earned Stiles' heart and loyalty.


	9. Some Things Can Never Be Forgotten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings everybody, a little update to this little tale of mine, a tiny update here. I’ll probably regret adding this chapter to this fic, because people are waiting for the whole Stiles facing the people that hurt him but for some reason I just can’t ditch this chapter (I’ve gone back and worth between throwing it out and not), but like with a character in another fic I just can’t let this one go. Sorry.

Seeing John Stilinski running towards the motionless form of Derek Hale who had thankfully dropped to the ground without breaking a single toy, the sight of John heading towards Derek while screaming for Derek it made something dark and bitter  within Stiles' heart grow.

 

The loud screams emanating from the older male were full of alarm, these loud cries of distress were directed at the broken bodied werewolf who wasn't unconscious unlike Alpha McCall. These loud screams erupting from the one who had once been the Sheriff of Beacon Hills served to only further annoy Stiles, it sparked new life into the Stiles' anger.  

 

However, the loud distressed cries of, `Derek! ´ were swiftly replaced by a frightened cry as the ground beneath the running feet opened-right-up. The stunned silence that followed made it easier for Stiles to breathe again. The momentary pause in undesirable noise was very much welcomed, of course Stiles had known that it wouldn't last, and it didn't since while John went silent Derek Hale began to call for the man with whom he'd broken Stiles heart with. 

 

A disturbingly pleasant shiver ran through Stiles at the sound of pain, agony, in Derek's breathless voice. Stiles was pretty sure that his pack and family would not judge him for these less than pure and good feelings he got from the only evidence that Derek Hale was suffering, he was rather certain that his friends and family would understand this dark turn and look past it. After all was it _really_ that wrong for him to find some sense of satisfaction in hearing and seeing those who had hurt him suffer a little bit of pain? Was it really that wrong after everything Stiles had been through?

 

A little bit of pain versus all the years of various forms of pains Stiles had suffered for _years,_ years of great misery surely granted Stiles this small pleasure. Stiles' agony of heart and mind had nearly killed him, it had nearly driven him to end his own life, so what was a little bit of pain compared to that? It was nothing. The suffering of Derek Hale at the moment was Derek's  _nothing_ compared to the darkness that had swallowed him whole after the betrayal Stiles' had learned in the most sickening of ways. Stiles believed with his whole cracked-heart that he'd earned the right to find some pleasure in the misery and suffering of Derek Hale and John Stilinski.

 

Stiles felt no qualms about trapping the man who'd helped with a great deal of heavy drinking and drunken outburst shorten Stiles' childhood, but he did feel a little bit nervous about finally facing the ghosts of his past, but it was time and Stiles could feel it all the way down to his still fragile bones. 

 

It really was time to open the closet where the skeletons of his past had been hiding. It was time for airing-out grievances and letting go. Yes, it was time to finally detach himself from the last remnants of a life Stiles wished to truly leave behind. Stiles wanted to be free from some parts of his past without having to fear _them_ coming back to haunt him again.

 

It _really_ was time to face those who had hurt him the worst, it was time to not only for Stiles to face the truth, but it was also the time for those who'd hurt him to face the fact that they no longer had a place in Stiles' life. 

 

If Stiles was honest with himself, it wasn't until he became a father himself that he began to see his childhood in a different light. False memories and lies he'd told himself and others as a child and young adult began crumble.  Facing the truth of his own childhood hadn't been easy or painless, it had nearly driven him right back to drinking and he would've done it too if it wasn't for his kids and husband.

 

 It was hard to face the truth that even before the death of his mother Stiles had already taken on responsibilities a little boy really shouldn't have been burdened with, and once his mom died and his dad started drinking Stiles spent a great deal of his young-life trying to keep his father and his secret safe. Stiles as a little boy, still grieving the loss of his mother, had known that his dad would probably lose his job if the secret came out and Stiles was afraid that losing his job would kill his dad, but above all else Stiles had feared he'd be separated from his father who was his only family left. While his father drank away his sorrow Stiles did his best to keep their house tidy and their clothes clean, thus keeping the townsfolk of Beacon Hills unaware of just how broken John Stilinski truly was after the death of his wife. Stiles had spent years stressing and worrying away nights while watching dutifully over his father, his father who'd for many years drank himself into a state of unconsciousness; Stiles had learned how to clean-up vomit without leaving a stain on the carpet, Stiles learned how to clean-up piss and vomit and even shit stains off of sheets and furniture so well he could've started his own business before the age of eleven. Stiles had spent years helping his dad out of soiled clothes without letting anyone in on the life he lived outside of school, and kept his dad alive and safe without ever getting a single word of thanks. 

 

Now as a father himself Stiles _knew, knew_ to the very core of his being _,_ that it should _never_ be the duty of a child to take care of an adult, Perhaps he'd even known the wrongness of the parts they played, even as a small child still grieving the loss of his mother he'd _known_ it wasn't right that he was responsible for keeping things as normal as possible, but back then as a child all Stiles could think about was keeping what little of a family he had left safe and together. No matter how many nights he cried for his mom to come back, to make it better, while he washed the stains his father had made in the middle of the night instead of being curled-up in bed caught in peaceful slumber, Stiles stayed loyal and protective of his father. 

 

In all honesty Stiles could have lived with the loss of a childhood well-enough, and he had for years, Stiles _could've_ handled it all without any of it causing any damage to the love he'd had for his father. Stiles _could've_ continued to pretend that all those times his dad threw a bottle at him in a drunken rage _never_ happened. But there was just so much Stiles could forgive and forget, or ignore, and John getting together with the one Stiles had believed he would spend the rest of his life with. There was just so much Stiles could handle, and what John and Derek did, well, that just wasn't something Stiles could ever pretend never happened. 

 

Stiles' anger was great while he faced the painful past he'd attempted to pretend never existed. The anger is so great that Stiles has to focus on keeping his breathing steady and controlled, keeping his heartbeat and hopefully his blood pressure from spiking even the slightest bit, Stiles _really_ didn't want to cause harm to the unborn child growing inside of him; after losing not just one _but_ two babies Stiles was beyond determined not to lose another child.

 

Losing this baby was not an option, not when the it was already much loved.

 

Stiles wished no more grief to befall himself or his family, there had been enough of that already.

 

Stiles _wouldn't_ lose _another_ child, not even for the sake of closure or revenge.

 

There was no doubt that if he so much as felt uneasy or breathless Stiles would pull-back and allow Peter to take over for him. Stiles trusted Peter to act on his behalf. Stiles believed with all his heart that if asked Peter would successfully reveal to these ghost from Stiles past just how greatly their actions had hurt him, after all Peter was a master of words and his tongue was sharp and deadly.

 

Stiles adored his husband, loved him with all his heart, but Ulric wasn't a master or words not the way Peter was. And knowing his husband the way Stiles did, there was always a risk Ulric's temper might flare when facing Derek or even just John in ways that would add another set of bones in the ground. You did not disrespect, harm, or overlook Ulric Lowell's mate in any way, at least in the presence of the alpha. Stiles had seen Ulric rip the arm of a giant when the creature dared to insult Stiles by calling him nothing more than a whore, and beat said giant with its own arm. 

 

Peter delighted in the way Ulric snapped when Stiles was insulted, while feeling frustrated whenever Ulric remained passive when the alpha himself was insulted. 

 

Turning his gaze away from the hole in the ground, Stiles felt a comfort in seeing those he loved and trusted standing there in the not too far distance. Stiles loved Ulric, he truly did. He loved Peter too the way he should've loved his father but no longer couldn't, and hadn't in this pure way since his mother became ill and died. Stiles loved his life, his family, and he knew he had been blessed to have found them since many never found that place where the fit perfectly. 

 

Although Stiles had moved on and found love, although he'd moved on and found a new family, the anger born from a deep sense of hurt still lingered. This peculiar form of pain, one unlike any Stiles' had experienced before, had with time easily twisted itself into a form of anger that could potentially become destructive.

 

`Time for some ice-cream Princess Luna. ´ Stiles calls out to his daughter as his own anger grows to dangerous levels, causing the ground to shake beneath his feet, the wind growing stronger around him. There's something positively dangerous in the air.

 

Stiles doesn't want his children or the young members of his pack witnessing him losing control. He holds no desire for his own children or those he called his nieces and nephews to see bodies possibly being ripped apart, or bursting into flames that wouldn't die down until there was nothing left. Stiles didn't want those he loved and cared for to fear him.

 

As he turned his attention back to the hole that held John Stilinski, while hearing his daughter protest unhappily. Luna loved watching magic at play, mostly because she had yet to see destruction it also could create, magic was fun and amazing to Luna and most of the younger members of their family.

 

`No. ´ Luna whined pitifully, wearing no doubt that dreadful pout that always got her everything she asked for from not only her alpha-father but also Peter. The only good that came from years spent with Scott McCall was Stiles immunity to Luna's pout, and yet although Luna had very little power to sway his decision, Stiles _always_ sought to keep Luna happy with the art of negotiation.  

 

`I'll make the sky dance in beautiful colors for you Luna, ´ he could hear the excited cry Luna let out without consideration for the hearing of the two werewolves who adored her possibly even more than Stiles did, ` _If_ you are a good little girl for me Luna. ´ Stiles goes on to says, still not turning around to look at one of the beautiful little girl that was under the protection of some of the greatest supernatural beings. It still amazed Stiles just how firmly Luna had Alpha Deucalion wrapped around her little finger, the Alpha never missed a chance to visit Luna and shower her with gifts, and Luna was equally fond of her uncle-Duke. 

 

Luna is quiet for a second, before upping the deal the way someone who had been taken under Peter's wing would naturally do, `You make sparkly animals too? ´

 

Stiles can't help but chuckle at that, he should've known Luna would want him to create the sparkling animals that his magic could so easily create, creatures that moved in an almost dance like fashion and if Stiles wanted would poop and vomit sparkly rainbows which always delighted the pups of the Lowell-pack.

 

Stiles turns towards the house which had grown and changed ever so slightly with each new Alpha couple, a house that was full of love and life that made it the best place on earth at least it was that for Stiles.

 

Seeing Luna, now in Ulric's strong arms, appearing that much smaller in the arms of her father than what she did in Peter's, then again everything appeared smaller next to the werewolf that was often called a half-giant, seeing his daughter and digesting Luna's wish Stiles couldn't help but smile at his daughter.

 

Bowing his head rather theatrically, before speaking to his young daughter, `As you wish princess Luna. ´

 

The great smile that appeared on Luna's face was one of the reasons why Stiles was able to get out of bed each day regardless his mood or sense of exhaustion, not that Stiles had many bleak mornings or days since the birth of Luna, having a successful pregnancy that ended with the birth of a very much alive child that he was able to hold in his arms had changed something inside of him, days of darkness were almost completely abolished with the arrival of his daughter. Luna had healed great many things by simply living, and Stiles would forever be grateful for the entire universe and his spark for gifting him the light that kept him out of the darkness that had lurked around him, threatened to consume him even after he found his happiness with Ulric.

 

`Ice-cream! ´ Luna demands excitedly, causing her half-giant of a father to chuckle fondly.

 

`Just a little bit of ice-cream, bana-phrionnsa bheag. ´ Ulric tells their daughter for once not calling her alpha bheag, perhaps knowing Stiles didn't approve of him calling Luna little _or_ small alpha when Luna was still too young to be burdened with the possibility of becoming an alpha. Stiles knew Ulric and many others called Luna alpha bheag since many very convinced Luna would become an alpha, a great alpha at that would bring a time of peace, Stiles of course hoped that Luna would be a great and honorable person with great wisdom, and above all else he wished his daughter to be happy as an alpha or a beta.

 

Watching Ulric take responsibility of protecting Luna's innocence Stiles couldn't help but be amazed how willing Ulric was to trust him, trust him without questioning his ability take care of not only himself and the baby growing inside of him even after Stiles had already lost two babies, it amazed him almost as much as the fearlessness of Luna's nature when it came to the unknown.

 

With Luna out of sight, her little ears far enough not to hear words shared and any possible screams of pain, Stiles closed the distance between him and the opening in their lovely yard, feeling a little bit more relaxed without Luna there.

 

Stiles loved his husband, he really did, but still hearing Derek calling for John in that similar way Ulric did whenever he feared Stiles was in peril, that sound struck him in a new and horrible way. Stiles does his best to ignore the sting in his heart as old wounds were ripped open once more. The long-ago experienced pain from betrayal was suddenly as fresh, the ache in his heart was positively as fresh now as it had been on that dreadful day when Stiles' world crashed and burned.

 

Listening to John and Derek calling out to each other, both males equally desperate to reach one another which only made a wave of emotions Stiles already struggled to control that much greater. Stiles felt no sympathy for the man he'd once called his father.

 

Stiles _hates_ these two males a great deal, this powerful and highly negative emotion had grown greater once Stiles had learned the real reason why his first pregnancy ended the way it had, the anger he held towards John and Derek also grew when he learned that Derek cheating on him broke the magic that had helped create the baby and keep it alive. It was knowing that the betrayal killed his baby made every pregnancy a little bit more anxious, because although Stiles trusted Ulric there was still a part of him that worried that something might happen.

 

Seeing John, seeing Derek it simply made the pain of the loss of the child who was never allowed to see the moon or the starts painfully fresh within Stiles forever broken heart.

 

The memory of the first-baby he'd lost, who's death had saddled him with terrible guilt for _years_ , a guilt that only lessened a little after Stiles learned that there had been nothing he could've done to save his and Derek's baby. The memory of his first-child, it causes his heart to ache with sorrow and his eyes sting with grief that he feared would never leave him.  

 

But before his emotions gets the better of him, leaving him crippled by sorrows deep whispers of love and comfort starts to spread through the pack-bond he shared with Peter and his giant-hearted husband, both males no doubt sensed a familiar grief clawing its way back into Stiles' forever damaged heart. 

 

`I'm fine. ´ Stiles whispers into the wind, allowing his words to be carried over to Peter and the now emerging forest dwellers. Dryads and other woodland spirits great and small all of them very much under Stiles' protection, each creature emerging battle ready willing to protect the one who'd given them a safe place to dwell, some creatures who had found safety and home on the lands of Lowell paused at his words while others rushing over to Peter, a few hurrying inside the house to check on the little ones which was all perfectly normal.

 

`Don't mind us, Blessed One. ´ says the dryad who always came to share a walk with him, and who often openly and shamelessly flirted with Peter whenever around the werewolf, `Seek your justice. ´ 

 

Stiles wanted to ask everyone to leave, but he had a feeling that not even the skittish flower spirits would do so, after all there were several souls trespassing on the land they shared and protected together with the pack that given them sanctuary. It was only natural to want to stay and make sure these threats were dealt with, and so Stiles left the various creatures be. 

 

Walking over to the hole his spark had created simply for the purpose of stopping John Stilinski in his tracks, Stiles notices the small family of trolls rushing excitedly towards a scattering of toys. Stiles could honestly only hope that these clumsy creatures wouldn't break any of the toys, but it seemed anytime the not to clever creatures something broke and left a bunch of little kids in tears.

 

A pained cry from Derek draws Stiles attention away from bulky creatures of different sizes, his attention drawn by the sound to the werewolf who had broken his heart in the most terrible of ways.

 

Stiles honestly shouldn't be all that surprised to find that carnivorous breed of pixies gnawing at Derek's broken limbs, this bloodied trait of these little creatures with unnaturally wide mouths full of sharp teeth was the reason they'd nearly gone extinct. There were many unfair myths about the Blood Pixies within the Supernatural community, such as them sneaking into houses and devouring small children or attacking anything that mood with vicious intent, most tales about the Blood Pixies had no basis in fact.

 

Although Stiles had devoted a few years trying to save this species of pixies, he didn't show any care when he blasted them off of Derek, then again it took a lot more than a small blast of air to kill these bat-winged creatures.

 

`BACK-OFF! ´ Stiles roars, and with that the not all that pretty to look at winged-creatures went flying every which way with loud shrieks of distress and anger leaving their tiny thin-lipped mouths.

 

`He's mine. ´ Stiles snarls at the creatures that could strip the skin and meat off of a large deer faster than any other creature or insect could, leaving behind nothing but bones picked-clean which was useful when one needed to get rid of a body, but also made a death by these white-eyed beings horrific.

`There's bacon in the kitchen. ´ Stiles tells the unhappy little creatures, knowing that the scent of blood and pain easily clouded the judgement of these winged creatures. Stiles knew that the none-too-creatively named Blood Pixies never harmed the unharmed, but once they caught the scent of blood the instinct to feed went to overdrive.

 

The mention of bacon quickly pushes back any feelings of hurt that the ash-colored creatures might've felt, each bat-winged creature chirping happily at Stiles before dashing into the house and kitchen with unreasonable amount of excitement.

` _Great_. Now there's no bacon for breakfast. ´ Peter grumbles from where he's standing, glaring at a couple of the slower Blood Pixies which had been rescued from a couple of hunters a month prior and were still healing from the abuse they'd suffered. Stiles ignores Peter since Peter's issue was a none-issue really with the whole walk-in fridge down in the basement full of bacon, well, not full of bacon since there were other things there too.

 

Ignoring Peter and approaching the hole in the ground, Stiles sent a gentle breath of wind to help carry the injured pair of pixies straight into the kitchen.

 

Taking a slow and deep breath, Stiles moved to the edge of the hole he'd made, peering down at the man who was trying to claw his way out of the hole that had opened-up beneath his feet. Feet wearing a pair of familiar looking shoes, shoes that Stiles' mother had bought for John and which were her last gift to her husband. Those shoes were a silent reminder of a time long ago, a time before John Stilinski changed for the worse.


	10. There’s No Forgive or Forget Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greetings from me and old Cat Bob who has parked himself on my arms so my typing ain't great, but he's so damn adorable when he sleeps that I can't disturb cute knitted sweater ass.
> 
> Anyways. I bet none of you imagined I’d update this soon, but well, I had a huge cup of green tea and I wasn’t going to waste it on something else not to mention I just sort of decided to post this before I start re-re-re-writing it again. And better post it before someone posts a not so nice comment and I just lose my brave heart. 
> 
> Oh I should probably warn you all that if you already hate John and the way he thinks of Stiles as week, then you will really start to hate him during this chapter because I sure as hell do. So grab something that will keep you calm, and settle down for a short read, a chapter I did try and make better but just couldn’t. 
> 
> And sorry to everyone who doesn’t like Ulric, especially Ulric and Stiles, but I like him and so he’s showing-up in this chapter again.

`Derek!? ´ the man trapped in a hole screamed, completely unaware of Stiles' presence, his focused _only_ on seeking for some way to escape the hole in the ground that opened-up beneath his feet without warning. All John Stilinski cared about was reaching the werewolf who was screaming for John with the same air of desperation with which John screamed for Derek. With each of John's attempts to get out the hole, the ground and walls moved causing the distance between the opening and John grow in distance not that John noticed it. 

 

At times the man without magic in his blood would swat at the glowing winged creatures that were less frightful looking than the distant cousins, these winged beauties quick in their movements thus avoiding getting caught by John's hands, their unearthly glow drawing out every line that time had drawn upon the miserable face of John Stilinski.

 

From where Stiles was standing he was given a good enough view of the man he'd once called his father, and Stiles takes his time to take in every detail of the man who was not welcomed in Stiles life. 

 

The man appeared for the most part thinner, even his hair had grown thinner and with strands of white here and there. Although Stiles had no desire to have John back in his life, he still felt a need to check on his health while possible to do so without being caught. Stiles doesn't want John in his life, can't have him back in his life, and yet he feels a need to make sure this human who'd caused him great distress would not drop dead any time soon.

 

Without a word, without moving a hand or a finger, Stiles had his magic reaching out towards and into the human yelling for the first werewolf Stiles had loved. It's easy really for Stiles to gain a detailed knowledge of the state John Stilinski was, it was clear that the man appeared much older than he ought to be but that alone wasn't enough to indicate what shape John was in.

 

The body of this man who had been denied a place in Stiles' life and family was weak, grown almost sickly by poor-life choices even if Stiles could tell that Derek had made valiant attempts to keep John living healthy, but too much alcohol from years ago and not too long ago had and continued to wreck havoc on the human. There was something dark and miserable clouding the mind too, although it was difficult for Stiles to sense it when John was clearly in full panic-mode. Still, although John Stilinski wasn't health-wise at his best, death was not yet near, if the man gave-up the drink for good and focused on a good diet then John could have many more years to enjoy, or not.

 

`Stop wasting your energy. ´ Stiles says after watching his father claw at the earthy walls, causing much more damage to his own hands than the earth that held him trapped and far from Derek.

 

John stilled then, breathing heavily, hands still against in moist and cold wall of earth that stood tall before him. There's tension in those old shoulders. Slowly, ever so slowly John Stilinski turned around to face Stiles.

 

Stiles thought that the older-male looked rather ridiculous where he stood. Even without the messy state of John's clothes the man simply looked miserable. There was smudges of earth on his now flushed face, there was grass and bugs in John's hair and his hands were dirty and full of tiny scratches and bitemarks. Heavy breaths escaped the gaping mouth making the older-male appear rather dim. Eyes wet and wide focused on Stiles who rather thought that the man looked rather pathetic.

`St-Stiles? S-son. ´

 

`Son? ´ Stiles snorts, the sound rather ugly even to his own ears.

 

`Really? ´ Stiles laughs, its an ugly and twisted laugh one he'd never wish his own children to hear. It takes a great deal of self-control not to blast the man in the hole into oblivion, or to just cover-up the hole with the man still stuck in it.

 

The restless and frankly angry energy pushes Stiles to move, to walk around the earthy prison he'd created to keep John out of his way. Stiles isn't the slightest bit worried about falling into the magic-made hole, since the once clumsy and ungraceful body was no more. Stiles had become one with his own limbs, balance and familiarity with a large pinch of ease had been found once Stiles stopped growing. Even now while pregnant he was far more graceful than he ever was as a child or teenager.

 

`Maybe once. ´ Stiles goes on to say, walking slowly around the opening in the ground, one hand resting protectively over his stomach that Ulric was particularly fond of touching and kissing as soon Stiles began to show, his husband also addressed the baby growing inside of Stiles as if it was already there listening to him keenly. Ulric went as far as to praise the baby just for moving around and staying safely inside of Stiles, and everyday Ulric told the baby that had yet to be born that it was loved. 

 

Although Stiles has no more love or affection to spare for the man who'd chased him down, sought him out in the one place Stiles called home, he was determined not to kill John. 

 

Stiles wasn't too proud or too bitter to admit there had been a time when John Stilinski had been a good and loving father, but it had been a shortly lived moment that had been shattered the moment Stiles' mother became ill-enough for none to ignore. When Stiles' mother had been alive and healthy his father had been a loving and attentive parent, of course nowhere near the way Ulric was,  still John had been the father Stiles grew to miss as both his mother and father began to change. After the death of his mother Stiles father was completely gone, never to returned really since John never recovered from his loss. 

 

`But calling me, ´ Stiles goes on to say, voice steady and easy even while anger and bitterness rolled around inside him like a fevered sickness, `son, ´ the simple word fell from his lips with an air of disgust, but his voice continues steady and easy as he goes on to say, `after what you've done, it's just so...´

 

`I'm your father, Stiles. ´ the man in the hole positively begs, as if he could reclaim the part of father, parent, with a pleading voice alone.

 

John cutting him off without much thought or care flared another spark of anger within Stiles, causing the earth beneath John's feet to tremble and break causing John to lose his balance enough to fall down to his knees and cry out in fear. Stiles wasn't alone in his anger.  

 

`You are no father! ´ Peter snaps from where he's standing, the response doesn't surprise Stiles the slightest, and he's frankly impressed that Peter hasn't rushed on over to glare down at John who's face had lost any expression of fear, instead his face hardened and his pale eyes shot a look of pure hatred in the direction of Peter's sharp voice.

 

` Stiles, ´ John goes on to say, his voice revealing just how little the man had faith in Stiles' ability to think for himself, and the look on the older mans face was full of pity that John wore when he looked back at the son he'd lost, that look really did push Stiles towards the edge of blowing him into nothing. 

 

 `Stiles, _Stiles_ , I know - I know _he's_ got into you head.´ There's so much venom in John's voice when he speaks about Peter that Stiles really wants to cause John a great deal of pain, he wants to hurt this man who continued to speak so unkindly of the one member of the Beacon Hills pack that hadn't betrayed him. 

`I knew it! I knew it! ´ Peter snaps, any smugness that would've existed at any other moment when Peter was proven right was not there, there was only bitter anger and a great deal of hurt. It was surprising how greatly it hurt Peter when anyone questioned his loyalty to Stiles. 

 

Stiles might not entirely know how deeply the accusation hurt Peter, but from the small tendril of hurt Stiles was able to feel through the bond that laced the pack together he could tell that the hurt was great.

 

Stiles knew that Peter took great pride in his place in the pack, in his place at Stiles and Ulric's side. Peter had earned his place as Stiles' and Ulric's second and trusted advisor. Stiles knew how much Peter cherished the trust he'd earned within the Lowell-pack, and this trust had made Peter strive to be his absolute best; Peter's _need_ to prove his worth, to protect Stiles and keep the Lowell-pack constantly aware of what was going on in Beacon Hills had kept Peter in the town that had nothing to offer him, the need to keep an ear out for any possible threats had kept Peter close to the pack that had refused to accept him the way he was.  

 

Here, part of the Lowell-pack, Peter was once more a much-loved uncle and even a grandfather.

 

The open disrespect and hostility directed towards Peter was enough to cause a surge of anger to erupt within Stiles, his magic seemed personally insulted by the way Peter was being treated by this person who shouldn't even be there to judge and disrespect Peter.

 

The sky that had darkened to that of starless night was suddenly lit up with bright and furious lightning, there was a deadly silence to it all which simply increased the sense of something positively supernatural in the air. Even the wind had grown silent around them while its over-all ferocity grew, still no harm was done to those accepted upon the Lowell land and none of the plant-life were harmed as the wind pushed and shoved against those who were not welcomed there.

 

A frightened cry left John as he was pinned to the earthy wall, a cry not all that dissimilar to the one escaping Derek Hale.

 

`Don't you dare. ´ Stiles growls at the man he'd once called his father, while giant roots erupted from the ground, reaching up towards the sky like wingers ready to claw away at the sky before deciding to direct their fury at the car parked in the driveway. The sound of metal crushing and glass shattering breaking the otherwise ghostly silent that had fallen upon the land.

 

`Don't. You. Dare. ´ Stiles spits out while the dryad who was greatly taken by Peter sprinted past him hissing out furiously at John, calling him a great deal of unflattering things in a tongue long forgotten, her voice growing soft and gentle as when she spoke to Peter doing her best to offer the werewolf comfort and support with kind words and gentle touches.

 

`Stiles, ´ John starts sounding very much like a parent trying to reason with a small child, which was not the best way to approach Stiles on any subject.

`Don't you _Stiles_ me. ´ Stiles hisses furiously, `Peter has done _nothing_. He's done _nothing_ but helped me. ´

 

For a moment the man in the hole appeared stunned by Stiles outburst, but he recovered quickly enough, too quickly to allow Stiles to calm himself down.

 

` Helped you? ´ there's an air of disbelief there, one which changes into something closer to outrage as he repeats the question, `Helped you? He _is_ manipulated you Stiles. ´

 

`I've NEVER...´ Peter starts with so much anger and hurt evident in his voice that Stiles feels an urge to go over to Peter and comfort him, but Stiles can't do it, not yet. Later in the day Stiles would with his children cuddle with the Peter, soaking Peter in love and attention. Peter goes quiet when Stiles raises his hand. Peter might've wanted to rush over to the hole, but stayed put trusting Stiles' judgement. Still, Peter starts to pace around restlessly, an angry energy surrounding him as he moves while glaring in the direction of the hole. 

 

` Stiles, he's got into you head son, and I know, I _know_ that _you_ know that somewhere deep inside you know this. You _know_ this. ´ the man who had once been a sheriff but who'd lost that position and respect he'd once held went on to say. Stiles knows that John believes everything he says. Stiles knows that nothing he said would ever change John's mind, the fool of a man just needed someone else to blame for the situation he found himself in.  

 

Although Peter no doubt tries to hide just how much the foul words hurt him, Stiles can still feel the devastation Peter feels when accused of doing something horrible and wrong to someone he often said, `Love you kiddo. ´ Old insecurities were dragged right back out of Peter, causing the werewolf who was so greatly loved by not only Stiles and his children but also every little werewolf in their pack question whether or not Stiles could and would trust him again. 

 

Feeling and seeing the hurt John's words caused Peter who had been able to love Stiles even at his worst and weakest, it angered Stiles in a completely new way. For someone to speak ill of someone who adored Stiles children even the one who wasn't of Stiles flesh or blood, that simply wasn't alright in Stiles' book. Feeling Peter's misery increases the level of anger Stiles was already suffering from.

 

`He's turned _you_ against _me_ , Stiles. Against _your_ father. He's twisted you against everyone who loves you. Against your family and your friends....´

 

`Shut your mouth!´ Stiles barks down at the man who was to blame for the death and ruin of their relationship, Peter had nothing to do with the complete break-up between Stiles and John. Peter could be blamed of a great deal of things, but Stiles no longer able to be stand John Stilinski was not one of them.

 

For someone like John to insult a member of Stiles' family and pack, caused Stiles magic to acts on its own as he tells the man that he'd called his father to be quiet. The scent of ozone, rotting leaves and plants even without any plants dying during Stiles outburst, dirt too which wasn't surprised as the ground began to crack and open-up here and there swallowing the birdbath that Ulric and the packs younger members had made. Trees grew in size while fresh new trees began to grow where none had been before. One bush after another, shrubs and even a few flowers suddenly burst into flames without burning the plants to dust. 

 

Because of John's foul tongue that insulted and hurt Peter, Stiles makes it positively impossible for older-human not to follow Stiles wish.

 

It doesn't take John long to realize that he has no voice, his mouth moves for a few voiceless sentences, words no doubt belittling Stiles' intelligence and Peter's intentions.

 

When John finally catches on to what's not happening a look of shock passing across his face, a look of distress and panic took over, which was rather satisfying for Stiles without really killing of the anger that still rolled around inside of him.

`Peter didn't fuck my boyfriend. _You did_. ´ Stiles hisses furiously while glaring down at the man who looked absolutely horrified from the loss of his voice, but then as Stiles words settled in the man stilled completely, perhaps stunned by how frank Stiles was. 

 

`I would never do such a dreadful thing. ´ Peter says rather defensively, ` I would never break Stiles' heart like that. ´ Peter continued on while the pretty dryad declared her faith in Peter being true to Stiles.  

 

` You and him, ´ Stiles growls while pointing towards the unmoving form of Derek Hale who was now screaming for Stiles to leave John alone, begging him really to just leave John alone, but Derek could no longer ask Stiles for anything which Peter was more than glad to point out sharply.

 

`You two broke my fucking heart! ´ Stiles continued, ignoring Peter telling-off Derek, ` _I trusted you. ´_

There has to be something about Stiles' voice or perhaps something about his expression that draws the attention of the older-human to him, forcing the man to face the hurt Stiles still felt. And although Stiles had wanted for this man to listen to him, to finally face the hurt he'd caused, Stiles isn't made to feel any better. If possible Stiles was starting to feel worse.  

_`_ I _always_ trusted you to _not_ hurt me, but that's what you did in the worst way possible. _´_ John mouths out the name Stiles mother had gifted him, a name Ulric had learned to say perfectly just so that he could use it in a way that would've pleased Stiles' mother. John's eyes attempting to say what his voice could not, but no matter the shape of John's pleading Stiles would not show him any mercy.

 

`You were my dad, my dad, and you felt it was perfectly alright to - to...´ Stiles struggles to say what he wants to say, doesn't know really how to voice the hurt that has never really left him.

 

`You were my dad. _My dad_. ´ Stiles can't help the way his voice breaks when he pleads for this man to understand just how much the betrayal had hurt.

 

Stiles really didn't want to cry around John, around Derek, but there are tears stinging in his eyes and his heart is trembling inside his chest.

 

_There's no weakness in crying,_ Stiles recalls his mate tell him more than once, whenever Stiles had fought against unwanted tears his husband insisted it was perfectly fine. Still, Stiles really doesn't want to cry before the one he'd once called father.

`Was I really such a horrible child? ´ Stiles finally asks the question that had been haunting, torturing him, `Was I really such a terrible son, that you felt it was okay to start a thing with the guy who was _my_ boyfriend, the guy you _knew_ I loved? ´

 

Stiles is almost glad that he'd silenced John since the man continued to flap his lips, eyes desperate and pleading as they continued to focus on him while tears drew tracks down the dirt stained cheeks. Sure, John wasn't able to answer his slightly fearful questions, but then again Stiles wasn't sure he could've handled the answer that John might've given him if he had a voice.

 

`Not that you hadn't already done a number on me, ´ Stiles laughs rather bitterly which seems to almost startle the human trapped in the earthy hole, the earthy walls now moving like pure liquid.

 

 `Not that your attempts to pickle your own organs with alcohol for _years_ , ´ Stiles says pausing his restless movement, squeezing his hands tightly into a pair of fists that really wanted to either punch something, or to simply letting the growing energy in his body out like some great ancient lightning wielding God.

 

`Not even the bursts of anger that were fueled by too much alcohol makes what you did with Derek _fine_. ´ Stiles could tell that John was trying to apologize for his missteps as a parent, but nothing John could undo the damage his action had done.

 

`Not even the things you said when drunk off of your ass, makes what you did with _him_ , ´ Stiles once more points in the direction of Derek who had yet to be able to move, the magic of the land making sure that the any creature that wasn't under Stiles protection could not heal normally.

 

`Stiles. ´ he hears Derek breathlessly cry, pleading for him to just leave John be, but Stiles wasn't done yet which was why he stole Derek's voice. With Derek silent Stiles returned his focus back on the man who looked absolutely miserable, perhaps a better person would show John mercy, but Stiles wasn't that great of a person.

 

`Sure, everything you said, ´ Stiles continued, keeping his voice steady as the sorrow and hurt was replaced by irritation and anger, `those words you threw at me, a bottle at times in-toe, they did cut deep and they never left me. Never truly released me. ´ Not that he felt like that for long, as a heavy sense of misery swooped right back into him as he continued to say, `Hearing your own father blame you for the death of your mother, that doesn't leave you. That shit doesn't leave you, ever. ´

 

John's mouth closes, and for the first-time the man seems unable to look at Stiles.

 

Perhaps John was finally beginning to understand, if only little, the damage he'd done.

 

`You know, ´ Stiles says, taking a couple of deep breaths before continuing on with, `what else doesn't leave you? Hearing that you are unlovable. That no one will ever love you, because you are worthless. ´

 

`He said what!? ´ is the angry response from both Peter and Ulric, and it stops Stiles from sinking back into those terrible memories that always made him feel like the worthless kid Stiles had been told he was.

 

Turning his attention away from John, Stiles finds the two werewolves who had dragged his sorry ass back to living his life the way that would've made his mother happy and proud of him, both males appear rather livid but remained where they stood, true to Stiles' wishes and trusting his judgement. Ulric and Peter aren't the only ones enraged by what Stiles has unintentionally shared with everyone. Angry hisses and growls had erupted amongst those loyal to him, a few angry exclaims came from fellow pack-mates that had arrived and eyes flashing beta yellow.

 

Stiles ignores everyone, even Ulric who was struggling to stay put, focusing instead on trying to expel some of the misery that still sat inside his heart that was forever scarred.

`Oh, not to mention all the times you belittled me, those times really built-up my insecurities. ´ the ugly and broken laugh that breaks through him is enough to startle Stiles, but not enough to cause Stiles to go stop talking, perhaps all the years of not speaking had now finally caught-up with him.

 

` Have you any idea how much hearing you declared that Scott was the son you wanted, or should've had, made me feel like shit? And you did it all while sober! ´ John once more turns his attention up towards Stiles, again attempting to apologize, but there's no voice to bring his apologize to life.

 

`That stuff, _that_ ripped out a large chunk from my self-worth right-on-out of me. ´ angry tears that Stiles hasn't been able to fight-off start to fall, then again perhaps seeing the hurt manifesting in tears might speak louder than words.

 

There's almost something pleading, sorrowful about the way the older-male looked up at him but nothing John Stilinski could do would melt Stiles' heart. There was just too much hurt, too much anger. 

 

` All those times, drunk or not, when you opened your mouth only to say something hurtful and hateful. It hurt. It fucking hurt. **´** Stiles hears his husband say that he was going to kill John, and Peter was offering to help get rid of the body, but Stiles was sure neither one would do such a thing not unless Stiles said it was fine. Taking a life was a serious thing, and John hadn't earned the mercy of death.

 

`You and you alone kept stripping me of any sense of self-worth. ´ here John shakes his head, mouth once more moving but no sound came out.

 

` _Long_ before you began fucking the man I loved - _loved_ with all _my heart_ , I was already cracked. ´ Stiles couldn't stop the tremble in his voice, he couldn't stop the tears that started to fall.

 

`With Derek those cracked _you_ made had started to _heal_ , to mend, _he_ made me _feel_ , ´ here Stiles placed a now trembling hand against his aching heart, ` _He_ made me _feel_ like I could be loved. Like I was worth something. He made me _feel_ like I wasn't worthless. ´

 

By now John was in tears, and his mouth continued to move in the shape of useless apologize.

 

`U loved. U worthy.´ one of the goblins that had settled in the shed declared while hugging Stiles' leg tightly, similar exclaims followed from around the yard. Through his bond he could feel the love of his pack and family, and it was a wonderful feeling, but it also made him feel incredibly sad because it took years for him to find the perfect place and people for him to _feel_ loved, or rather for them to find him. It was rather sad that Ulric's family and pack, and a former mentally unhinged werewolf were able to love him and treat him right while his own father just couldn't. 

 

Although Stiles had made a life for himself with Ulric Lowell and his family and pack, there was still that small part of him, that small remnant of a little boy who was desperate to be loved by the only parent he had left. But Stiles can't trust John, not anymore, the man had hurt him too many times and too much.

 

With a heavy sigh, losing his will really to continue talking to this man who Stiles doubted could ever understand just how much he'd hurt him, Stiles turned his head just enough to see Derek who was starting to move his fingers.

 

`I really did love him, ´ Stiles almost whispers, the truth feels almost like a betrayal. It felt almost like cheating on Ulric. Just revealing that he'd once loved someone else, it simply felt wrong even if he knew Ulric wouldn't hold it against him.  

 

Thinking of his husband, the man who loved him the best, causes Stiles to yearn to see the werewolf who loved him the way Derek clearly never could or would. Not that Stiles wanted Derek back, just the thought of being touched or kissed by Derek made him sick enough to turn his stomach. 

 

Ulric with his now sad eyes smiled at him, it was a small smile but it was one of full of love and it eased away the unpleasant feeling churning inside of Stiles belly. Stiles couldn't help but smile back at his husband and say, ` Tha gaol agam ort. ´ His words declaring that he loved Ulric, this simple truth caused his beloved and good husband to smile that much bigger as if Stiles had told him something absolutely wonderful.

 

`I know. ´ Ulric says, voice so sure and with an air of gratefulness that Stiles could never understand, but the words that followed made Stiles' heart grow in size.

 

`And I love you. ´ such simple words should not hold such great power over him, not after hearing them from the werewolf who broke Stiles' heart. It took years before Stiles was able to believe that Ulric did love him.

 

Stiles isn't entirely sure when he exactly he stopped doubting Ulric's declaration of love, but stop it he had. Once Stiles had accepted Ulric and Ulric's love, words of love, Stiles couldn't imagine a day without either. Stiles doesn't know exactly when he'd stopped thinking that Ulric would break his heart the same way Derek had, but he had stopped worrying about it. Stiles knew, knew deep down that the only way Ulric would hurt him was by dying.

 

Feeling a little bit stronger, Stiles turned his focus back towards the man who nearly pushed Stiles to the point where the life he now lived would never be.

 

Taking a slow steady breath and standing a little bit taller, one hand resting over the life that could've easily never have come to be if Ulric hadn't been stubborn. There were so many things Stiles would've lost if Ulric hadn't had faith in him when Stiles had none left.

 

`You and Derek ripped me apart, drained me of the last shred of confidence I had. You and him burned away my sense of self-worth. You two clawed out any hope and belief I had about being loved, being able to be loved. That's what you two did to me, intentionally. ´

 

John starts to shake his head fervently, his mouth moving as soon as Stiles declares that what he and Derek had done was intentional.

 

`Yes. Yes, you did. ´ Stiles says sharply, `You had to have known how much it would hurt me. You had to have known just how much it would devastate me to lose the man I loved. As my father you had to have known that, even without me telling you how much I loved Derek that it would break my heart. ´

 

`Unless, of course, you're and imbecile which I believe YOU ARE!´ Peter barked from where he was standing, clearly staying silent was becoming a little bit too much for the werewolf who had taken John's part in Stiles' life. But unlike John Peter had earned his Best Dad and Grampa mug.

 

Ignoring Peter, for now at least, Stiles goes on while ignoring the quick glare John attempted to shoot at Peter.

 

`But to _lose_ him to _you_. ´ Stiles can't stop the venom that seeps into his voice then, `To _lose_ him to my _own_ father, _my own father_. You had to have known it _would_ fucking _devastate_ me. ´

 

John keeps blabbering on, but the words are voiceless and frankly useless. Still, its clear John is trying to deny what was at least to Stiles so very clear.

 

` You and he knew it would hurt me, and yet you two just went all the damn way. ´ John pauses his desperate babbling and headshaking just long-enough for Stiles to say, `Nod if you knew it would hurt me, just nod if you knew losing Derek would hurt me. ´ There's a tense pause before John does nod, and for some reason that chipped a tiny part of Stiles' heart away.

 

`Did you talk about it, the two of you, about how this would hurt me?  And tell the truth, or I will make sure Derek is going to be stuck in a wheelchair for life and having his meals through a straw. ´ The threat was an empty one since Stiles wasn't a complete monster.

 

With fear in his eyes John gave a short nod before bowing his head, possibly in shame.

 

`And yet, knowing that it would distress me, you went on with it. ´ here John nodded once more.

 

`Well, then I'd say your actions were pretty much intentional. ´ Stiles sighs, the already existing sense of disappointment he had when it came to John increased in size.

 

`It _ruined_ me. ´ Stiles confesses, while avoiding to look at the voiceless man, instead facing the sky that seemed to begin to cry the tears Stiles just couldn't let free, at least not yet.

 

`It broke me. It made me feel so small, so worthless. So alone because I couldn't run to my dad and cry over yet another loss, I couldn't come to you for comfort or words of wisdom that would help me deal with losing Derek. I couldn't even go to my _best_ friend, I couldn't go to anyone. I was so alone. ´ Stiles pauses, doing his best to just breathe and calm down his heartbeat since his heart had gone completely mad inside his chest. 

 

` I didn't know what to do, how to get that image and those sounds out of my head, ´ Stiles finally tells John once his heartbeat had gone back to normal, `and so I did exactly what you did after losing mom. ´

 

Closing his eyes, enjoying for a moment the soft rainfall that had started.

 

 ` Oh God, I _really_ want a drink. ´Stiles says to no one, but then with a sigh Stiles goes on talk to John, turning his attention back to the pitiful man, ` But I can't do that, even if I wasn't pregnant, I still can't do that. I have children to love and raise, and drinking myself into nothing isn't an option for me. ´

 

`I used to drink a lot. ´ Stiles divulged without a sense of shame, of course he wasn't proud of his drunken years but he wouldn't be made to feel ashamed about it around this man, after all why should he feel ashamed of it around another alcoholic, `Like you, I used to drink a lot. Like good old Booth. ´

 

John is now sobbing, and if he could've made any sound it would've sure been the loud and ugly crying sort of sound carrying a bunch useless little words. 

`But alcohol just didn't help, didn't stop the crying or the feelings that made me feel so worn down and exhausted. ´ Stiles avoids any eye contact with John, he's still afraid to see disappointment in those pale eyes of his.

 

`I almost OD, a couple of times. ´ Stiles whispers, the memory of the distress he'd seen carved into the eyes of both Peter and Ulric, that still haunted him. Stiles braves whatever disappointment he might find in John's eyes.

 

There's no sign of disapproval, judgement or disappointment to be found. What Stiles does find is John sobbing and trying to reach out for Stiles who unnecessarily back, needing a little bit more distance between him and John.

`Without Peter and Ulric, without them, I wouldn't be here. ´ Stiles tells the man he'd once called his dad, `They saved me, they got me clean and healthy, they got me all the help I needed.´ Stiles can't help but smile fondly at the two males as he continued, `They hired professionals to help me get clean. They didn't just dumping my ass somewhere. But even with these doctors and nurses Peter and Ulric stayed with me, they learned how to best help me. That's love. That's devotion. ´

 

Stiles nods in the direction of Peter and Ulric, `Those two, those two werewolves have done more for me than you ever did. And you come here, and you insult them both. That's bad enough, even without the shit you've done.´

 

Shaking his own head while gently rubbing his stomach, feeling a sense of comfort at the feel of the life still safe and growing inside of him. This was the first pregnancy which he was truly able to enjoy, and now these people from his past came to cause him unnecessary distress.

Standing there, surrounded by love and support while facing a man who had cracked and broken him, who'd sent him spiraling into self-destruction, Stiles knows that the actions he'd taken to secure that not another child had to suffer the way he had while in John's care. And of course, until John faced the truth that he was indeed a functioning alcoholic, Stiles could never trust the man around any child. Seeing John, hearing the man speak, and by living years with good people Stiles had no more doubts about sabotaging Derek's and John's attempts to adopt a child.

 

`I know you'll never accept you've done anything wrong, not really. You can say you're sorry, but those are just words without any real meaning. I just can't believe in those words anymore. ´ Stiles says with a heavy heart, ` I just can't risk you around me or my children or around my husband. I _can't_ trust you. I just c _an't_. ´


End file.
